You're Not Alone
by Random-Minded
Summary: When the new scholar turns out to be a girl things turn out even more interesting for the host club, especially now that she's a host. Kaoru gets along well with her though. But then again, Mori does too. Kao/OC/Mori Hika/Haru
1. Chapter One

A/N: Hey guys! The entire story's being reconstructed so it won't be too draggy for you to read. Thanks so much to those who've read, reviewed, and supported this fic so many times! Many thanks especially, to those who voted (at the beginning) for the pairings. :D

I don't own Ouran, Bisco Hatori does. I only own my stories and the OC's in them.

'word' - thoughts

"word"- words spoken

"_word_"- twins talking in unison.

* * *

**Chapter One: And So It Begins  
**_  
_

* * *

_vrrrrrt. . ._

vrrrrrt. . .

_vrrrrrt. . ._

"Nnnhhh..."

_vrrrrrt. . ._

_vrrrrrt. . ._

_vrrrrrt. . ._

_vrrrrrt. . ._

A hand reached out.

_vrrrrt. . ._

_vrr -click-_

The hand withdrew back underneath the covers of a futon, and its owner yawned sleepily.

_-sigh-_

A figure lazily sat up and glanced over to the cellphone on his side. Big, black numbers and a picture of a bell flashed at him, reading:

7: 20 am

"This can't be right." he mumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He then picked the phone up and read the time once more, making sure that he wasn't misreading the numbers.

He wasn't.

And reality sunk in.

'Shimatta.'

Cursing, he then jumped onto his feet and ran out of the room.

xoxoxoxoxo

xoxoxoxoxo

_-Ouran Academy, 7:22 am-_

A blonde, second year student worriedly paced back and forth in front of the third music room.

"Where are they!?" he wondered impatiently, looking down at his watch. "The bell's going to ring in a few minutes!"

He was pretty sure that he had announced an emergency meeting at that particular time of the day, but no one had showed up. Yet.

The sounds of footsteps walking over the plush, red, carpeted, marble floor caught his attention, and he swiveled around gracefully to meet the newcomer.

"I had a feeling you would be here." the newcomer said impassively, pushing his glasses upwards. "Honestly, Tamaki, why are you even expecting the others to come here so early in the morning for an emergency meeting, when you just texted them an hour ago?"

"An hour's a long time to get here." the blonde defended. "Besides, you came, Kyouya."

The dark-haired boy gave him a look, and Tamaki grinned.

"Let's go, baka. No one's going to come at this time." Kyouya sighed, turning around to walk away. "The bell's going to ring soon and I'm not going to make either of us be late."

"Hai, hai." Tamaki smiled, running alongside his friend. "I guess the meeting can wait until after school. But, let's pass by Haruhi's classroom first, please?"

Kyouya's brow raised. "What for?"

"I got another snack prize from the Micca's house series. I figured that she might want to have it." he smiled. [1]

"Very well." the shadow king sighed one more. 'Though I don't think she will.'

~.~.~

_And so. . ._

"Haruhi!" Tamaki cried out happily, waltzing into the class of 1-A and over to the brown-haired girl.

Haruhi looked up from the book she was reading and cringed inwardly at the sight of the two second years making their way towards her. Kyouya greeted some of her classmates with his 'with merits' smile, while the blonde just grinned at her before placing something tiny on her desk. She looked down at it.

"Anou, sempai, what is this?" she asked, picking the small figure up. It was a tiny kettle.

"It's another one from the Micca's house series. I thought you might want it, so I'm giving it to you!" he grinned.

"A-ah." she sweatdropped. 'There were four of these in the collection he gave me. . '

"Also," he continued, "When club hours are over later, I'll be announcing something important so you'll have to stay here for a few more minute, alright?"

"Okay, you gave it. Let's go." Kyouya said, walking out of the room.

"Yep." the blonde replied, looking up at him. "See you later, Haruhi!"

He waved at her before leaving the room, and she glanced back down at the kettle on her palm.

"Ne, ne, Haruhi-kun. What did Tamaki-sempai give you?" some of her classmates asked, flames of moe burning in their eyes.

"It was a ring, wasn't it? Something that small should've been a ring!" one of them squeeled.

The host sighed as they all screamed, and she tucked the tiny kettle into her pocket. 'I wonder if the meeting'll take long. There's a sale on seafood today at the supermarket and I really don't want to miss that...'

xoxoxoxoxo

xoxoxoxoxo

_Outside the school grounds. . ._

A long, black limousine sped up the road, trying to make it to the school gates on time.

"Damnit Hikaru!" a voice cried out with a hint of annoyance. "I told you to set your alarm ten minutes earlier!"

"Kaoru, I've told you twice and I'll tell you again, I did! I must've just snoozed it when it rang." a similar voice cried out in reply. "And anyway, it's not like we've got anything to worry about; Takamichi-sensei's always late for first period."

"That's not my point." Kaoru muttered, crossing his arms with a pout on his face. "I had to give Hunny-sempai something important."

"Something important?" Hikaru asked, curious. "What is it?"

The younger boy reached into his bag and pulled out a small, white collar with a thin, red ribbon tied onto it's center; something meant for dolls' wear. "He called last night and told me that he just realized how naked Usa-chan was, and he asked me to make something for the poor bunny."

Hikaru stared at it for a few seconds before bursting out into fits of laughter. Kaoru chuckled at the sudden reaction and placed the collar back into his bag.

"Hunny-sempai is too cute." the former said, calming down.

They grinned at each other for a second when the limo suddenly screeched out loud and swerved to the side. A few bumps were heard going across the roof and their car swerved once more, hurling the twins off their seats. Their driver stopped the car.

"Oy! What the HELL just happened!?" Hikaru questioned, hugging Kaoru close protectively. Both their eyes were wide in shock at the sudden event.

"Gomenasai, Hitachiin-sama!" their driver apologized before quickly getting out of the car and running to its back. They soon realized what he was doing and quickly rushed out of their limo as well, hoping that the bumps they heard weren't what they thought they were. However, laying on the ground a few feet away from their limo was a boy groaning in pain. A black and silver bicycle lay tangled at his feet, and the strap of his black messenger bag had scraped his cheek.

Kaoru quickly rushed to the his side to help him up, followed by Hikaru, who picked up the bicycle.

"We are so sorry!" the younger Hitachiin apologized, bowing to the boy. "Our driver didn't see you. Are you alright?" he asked.

"Y-yeah, I think so." came the reply. "Thanks."

"Oy! What the hell were you doing? He could've been killed!" Hikaru yelled angrily at the driver, who was bowing down profusely. "You should've payed attention to where you were going!"

"A-ah! No, wait! It's not his fault!" the boy said, standing up. "It was my mistake to suddenly make a turn without checking for cars passing by. I was rushing, you see, so your driver was naturally taken by surprise when I turned. . so. . sorry." he trailed off, wincing at the stinging pain from the scrape on his cheek.

The twins eyed him in confusion, and Hikaru backed away from the bowing man. "Are you a student of Ouran Academy?" he asked, eyeing the school tie the boy was wearing. Kaoru saw the familiar blue blazer's sleeve hanging out from the boy's messenger bag, and brought it out. "A high school student? Are you in our batch?" "_We've never seen you before_."

"I-Im a new student." he replied, sweatdropping. "The letter said that I start school this semester and I was rushing late so. . "

"Letter?" Kaoru interrupted, handing him the blazer. "You're here on scholarship?"

"Well, I suppose it's obvious without asking too." Hikaru whispered to him, looking at the bicycle.

"Good point. Ouran students usually don't go to school on those things, do they?" he whispered back.

The boy blinked at them innocently, confirming his status.

"_Ah. Well, since you're this semester's scholar, then you don't have to rush._"

"E-eh?"

"Judging from your looks, you're probably in your first year of high school as well, right?" Hikaru asked, scanning the boy's frame up and down. The boy blushed lightly at the older Hitachiin's intrusive gaze (but it went by unnoticed) and nodded.

"Then you're most probably going to be in our class." Kaoru said, also scanning him. "Our teacher's always late so you don't have to waste your breath trying to get to school on time."

"Look who's talking." Hikaru muttered, earning a light poke on the ribs by the younger twin.

"O-oh. Really?" The boy asked, looking down embarrassedly. "T-that's good, I guess."

The twins exchanged glances and nodded before reaching out to grab the boy's arms. He yelped and began to struggle when they pulled him towards their limousine where their driver was securing his bike onto. "What the- What are you two doing?!" he questioned, wincing when they pushed him into the vehicle.

"We're giving you a ride, what else?" Kaoru shrugged, moving to sit on the empty spot next to him.

"Think of it as an apology for crashing onto your bicycle." Hikaru said non-chalantly, sitting next to his brother and closing the door.

"But it was my fault. . and I don't want to trouble you-"

"_Who's troubling who here? The school's just around the corner anyway so don't worry about it._"

The boy back up against the window and gulped before bowing his head. "T-thank you very much then." he bowed nervously.

They grinned deviously and leaned against each other, still looking at the poor boy with some interest.

"So, what's your name, commoner?" Hikaru asked, with no ill-intentions at all.

The boy was slightly taken aback at the bluntness of the older Hitachiin, but shrugged it off and smiled politely. "My name's Shukatchi Kai. It's nice to meet you two." he bowed again.

"_Kai-kun it is then._"

"O-okay." he sweatdropped.

"Well, since we're going to be classmates, we might as well introduce ourselves too." Kaoru smiled. "I'm Hitachiin Kaoru."

"And I'm Hitachiin Hikaru." Hikaru finished. "Nice to meet you, Kai-kun."

"Hitachiin?" the boy asked, raising a brow. "As in Hitachiin Yuzuha's family name 'Hitachiin'?"

"Oh? Kai-kun knows okaasan." -Hikaru

"Okaasan's famous over commoners like Kai-kun." -Kaoru

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"_Nothing, nothing._"

"So anyway," Kaoru grinned, leaning back against his brother affectionately.

"How would you like to play a game?" Hikaru asked, wrapping an arm loosely on his twin's waist.

The boy ignored their intimate actions towards each other and raised a brow. "What game?"

They smirked at each other and leaned forward until their faces were only mere inches away from his. "_The 'Which on is Hikaru-kun game'._"

A question mark appeared over his head and he sent them a confused look.

"The rules are simple, really." Hikaru grinned, pulling a green cap out from nowhere.

"All you have to do is to guess which one of us is Hikaru." Kaoru explained, also putting on a similar cap. "If you guess wrong, you'll have to be our slave for the week."

"W-what?!" Kai exclaimed, backing away from their devilish grins.

"_We're starting now!_" They smiled cheerfully.

How they managed to switch positions in the cramped up limousine, Kai would never know. One thing for sure was that the twins had managed to confuse him with their movements to the extent that his head became slightly dizzy.

"So~ Kai-kun!" One of the twins grinned, lowering his cap. "Which on of us is Hikaru,"

"And which one of us is Kaoru?" the other asked, also lowering his cap.

The boy stared at them for a few seconds, and another question mark appeared over his head.

"That's it?" he asked, pointing at the twin on the left. "This one's Kaoru-san, and this one's Hikaru-san."

They blinked back at him, surprised. "_Wrong!_" they exclaimed, laughing. "_Looks like you're going to be our slave for your first week at Ouran, Kai-kun!_"

"Eh? But I guess correctly, didn'I?" he asked, tilting his head in a confused manner. "You can't possibly be Hikaru-san. You're voice is different."

They both paused and stared at him. "_We have the same voices._"

"Okay, fine." he huffed, trying to think of a good way of explaining himself. "I don't know,. . your vibes are just different. But, I'm pretty sure that Hikaru-san's the one on my right."

"_Vibes, eh?_" They removed their caps in silence and sat back down, still keeping their gazes at him.

"S-sorry. Am I wrong?"

"Hitachiin-samas, Shukatchi-san, we have arrived." the driver suddenly announced, interrupting them.

"A-ah. Alright." Hikaru smiled, turning around to open the door. "Well then, we'll see you upstairs, Kai-kun!" he waved, getting out of the limo.

_-warning bell rings; classes are officially starting and the twins are still outside!-_

"Shimatta. Okay, we'll have to go on ahead. Just go straight into that building and make a left." Kaoru instructed, also getting out. "The first room that you'll see is the admissions office, they'll give you everything you need."

"O-okay. Thanks, Kaoru-san." Kai bowed, watching the two of them go. 'So. . am I still their slave for the week?' he wondered.

"I'm impressed that you guessed correctly, Kai-kun." The driver said, interruptng his thoughts and setting the bicycle in front of him. "It's just your first time meeting them and you've managed to figure them out already." he smiled. Kai's eyes widened when the man began to remove his cap, and the thick beard around his face, and the fake mustache above his lips.

"Y-you're-" he gasped.

The man's smile broadened.

"B-but- you're the husband of Hitachiin Yuzuha, right? I've seen your picture with her on television before!" he gasped once more. "Y-you're the father of Hikaru-san and Kaoru-san!"

"My name's Hitachiin Hiro, just call me Hiro-san; and yes, I'm those two's father.[2]" he said, with an amused expression on his face. Kai then began to bow down multiple times, apologizing for the earlier events of that morning and he chuckled.

"Err. . I may not be in the position to ask, but, why were you disguised as their driver?" the boy suddenly asked, looking up at him.

"Well," Hiro smiled. "Isn't it my job to take my children to their school on their first days of classes?"

"I suppose it is. . " Kai smiled. "But still, you can just send them to school without the disguise, right?"

The man chuckled again and ruffled the boy's short hair playfully. "You should get going now. You're late enough as it is." he grinned, not answering the question. "I'll park your bicycle under that tree over there for you."

Kai 'oh!'-ed and bowed down gratefully before running off towards the building while Hiro watched her run off.

He smiled. "That girl. . what in the world is she doing?"

xoxoxoxoxo

xoxoxoxoxo

_-Classroom 1-A-_

Haruhi impassively stared at the two panting twins sitting beside her.

"We. . we made it" Kaoru gasped tiredly. Hikaru was panting too hard that he couldn't reply, so he just nodded.

"Anou. . are you two alright?" she asked, raising a brow. "You guys arrived later that usual today. You should be thankful that Takamichi-sensei isn't here yet."

"We're fine- " the younger Hitachiin breathed in deeply. "We just had a very interesting morning, that's all."

Her brow raised higher.

"When we were still on our way here a while ago," Hikaru started, recollecting himself. "Our driver accidentally crashed onto this guy riding on a bicycle."

"So we went out of our car to help him out only to find out that he was also a student here at Ouran." Kaoru continued.

"Your driver crashed into one of the students?" Haruhi questioned, shocked. Their classmates fell into silence as they turned to stare at her and she waved it off saying it was a dare. Hikaru snickered, but stopped when she glared at him.

"Well, he wasn't injured." the younger twin shrugged. "The only thing he recieved from the collision was a scrape on his cheek. Anyway, we gave him a ride to school after finding out that he was a student here, and to entertain him, we played the 'which one is Hikaru-kun game?'"

". . . "

"It was a surprise though." Hikaru said softly, raising his head and leaning against Kaoru's table. "He got it right on the first try."

"H-he did?!" she exclaimed, eyes widening.

"_Yeah._" they nodded.

"And even though we told him he was wrong, he said that he was pretty sure he got the answer right." Kaoru said, leaning his head on his brother's arm. "Something about us having different vibes or auras or something along those lines. . "

"It took us by surprise, either way."

"I wonder what he meant though."

"But for a complete stranger to have guessed correctly. . " she trailed off and smiled. "I want to meet him."

Hikaru's ears perked up and he stood up, frowning slightly. "S-seriously?"

"Nope." she giggled, causing him to blush in embarrassment. "Anyway, how did he look like?"

"_He's short._" they stated, no hesitation whatsoever.

"Short for a guy anyway. He's probably a few inches taller than you, but still, he's short." the older shrugged.

Haruhi, slightly annoyed at being implied to be short, sat back down at her seat but kept her gaze at them. "What else?"

"Nothing too striking, I guess." Kaoru sighed, sitting sideways to face her. "Short, black hair, kind of neat and messy at the same time; long lashes; brown eyes; pale complexion. . the usual, commoner guy look."

"He sort of reminded me of a girl though." Hikaru muttered, scratching his head. "Oh, and he's also like you, Haru-chan. He's here on sholarship."

"Really?" she asked. "So he's going to be in our class then, right?"

"_Most likely._"

The doors of the classroom suddenly slammed open and a tall, blonde, quirky-looking, middle-aged man entered the room. The students then grinned and returned to their seats, looking at the man with knowing smiles.

"Oy, oy, don't give me that look." he grinned back, setting his things down on the table. "I'm only five minutes late, after all."

"It's a new record! Hooray for Takamichi-sensei!" someone cheered out loud, causing everyone in the room to laugh.

"Thank you." the man chuckled, waving his hands to quiet them down. "Let's get on now, shall we? Iincho?"

The class rep stood up straight and began to lead the class with the morning greetings. Takamichi smiled when they finished and let them take their seats before raising a hand to signal silence. "Alright, so, how was your summer?" he asked cheerfully, receiving multiple, eager answers in return. They laughed once more when he accidentally pushed his books off the table, and the students in the front row of the classroom stood to help him pick them up.

"Thank you, again." he grinned, scratching the tip of his nose. He then raised his hand up once more to quiet the class down, and leaned back against the chalkboard. "So, I assume that you all had a good summer?"

"Yes!" came the chorused reply.

"I see, I see. That's great to hear." he laughed. "But as you all can see, we're back in school for a new semester. Aww." They all joined him playfully.

"But, calm down, calm down," he laughed again. "Today, the school has a surprise for you."

The class quieted down, looking at him curiously. "Because of special reasons, which I myself do not know, the superintendent of the school has accepted another student from the middle class for a scholarship here at Ouran. He will be joining your class for the next two and a half years, and I do hope that all of you with get along nicely with him, just as you did with Haruhi-kun. Can you do that?"

"Yes!"

He chuckled and faced the open doors of the room. "You can come in now, Kai-kun." he called out.

Hikaru and Kaoru glanced at each other knowingly when Kai entered the room with a white path over the scrape he had received earlier. Their brows raised when they noticed that the patch had accentuated a rather feminine jawline, yet at the same time, gave the boy a somewhat 'bad boy' look. Pink hearts appeared discreetly, spinning over the girls' heads.

"Class, please welcome. ." Takamichi paused giving the new guy his cue.

"Shukatchi Kai. It's very nice to meet you all" he bowed politely.

A series of greetings and smiles welcomed the boy, and their teacher chuckled at their enthusiasm. "Alright, that's enough. You can get to know more about your new classmate during your break later, but for now, let's start with today's lesson." he said after a minute, looking around the room for an empty seat. "Ah, there. You can sit on that seat behind Haruhi, Kai-kun. Fujioka, raise your hand please."

Haruhi slowly raised her hand and Kai nodded, heading towards his seat. He then spotted Hikaru and Kaoru sitting next to her and they gave him a friendly wave.

"Okay, everyone, get your English textbooks. Class is now beginning." Takamichi announced, turning around to write some things down on the board.

xoxoxoxoxo

xoxoxoxoxo

_Later that day. . . (Kai's POV)_

I tapped my pencil against my math notebook boredly as Hasegawa-sensei, my new boring math teacher, babbled on about General Trinomials. She had given us a fifty-item seatwork to work on for the last twenty minutes of the day, and -not to brag, but- I had finished it in ten.

My mind boredly wondered over to the boy sitting in front of me, Fujioka Haruhi-kun. He's a nice guy. He talked to me throughout this day and I found out that he's also here at Ouran on a scholarship, but, the way Hikaru-san and Kaoru-san toy around with him makes me feel a little uneasy. I dunno, it might just be my imagination, but somehow, something feels a little bit _off _about Fujioka-san.

He looks like a girl, his voice sounds like a girl's, and the way he acts is the same with that of a girl.

But he's a boy.

I think.

But really now, he looks too much like a girl to be a boy! His aura's just screaming 'I'm a girl, not a boy!' at me, so, he can't possibly be a boy. .

Can he?

I sighed and glanced down at my watch.

It's 3: 27 pm, so I have around three minutes to go before classes end for the day. Ueda-san gave me a day off today too, so I guess I can take a tour around the campus once we're dismissed. Hmm. Maybe I can ask Fujioka-san to give me a tour? No, wait, He's probably going to be busy with that 'host club' thing my female classmates were talking about a while ago.

_-sigh-_

Maybe I'll just explore the campus by myself later.

I looked back up so that sensei would think that I'm still busy. Did she just nod at me? okay. . I guess that's a good thing.

3:29 pm

Great. Just one more minute and I- whoops, dropped my pencil.

I sighed once more and was about to bend over to pick it up, when the girl sitting next to me quickly grabbed it from the floor and handed it to me with a. . is that a blush I see on her cheeks? Thanking her, I retrieved my pencil and looked away awkwardly.

~.~.~

Okay, since you're practically omniscient about everything I'm doing and thinking right now, I might as well just tell you a little bit about myself so RandomMinded-san won't have to stress over how to explain my situation. I don't have anything else to do for the next few seconds anyway.

Hi, reader, my name's Shukatchi Kai, but you can just call me Kai. You might've already guessed it already, but I'm not as well off as my classmates here, beside Fujioka-san -we're buddies in that aspect. Anyway, I work part-time in a small cafe in the more peaceful areas of the city everyday after school and on weekends. My boss, who kind of acts like my guardian, is a really nice guy. He helped me out a lot with the applications and paperwork needed for this scholarship, and because the men's uniform here is a lot cheaper than the ladies' uniform, he suggested that I buy the men's uniform instead. Which I did.

Just the other day, while I was trying on this uniform for the first time, my boss got me this really cool wig which -according to him- made me look more like a guy. And since I was going to dress up as one anyway, I thought that I might as well pretend to be one to save the trouble. I'm a girl though.

Really, I am.

~.~.~

_-final bell finally rings-_

'Yesss!' I silently cheer to myself as I quickly stood up to pass my seatwork in.

Me and some of my classmates bid Hasegawa-sensei goodbye on our way out of the classroom, and I then noticed the twins dragging Fujioka-san forcefully down the hallway at a fast pace. He was 'eh~?'-ing all the way 'till they were out of sight.

Strange friendship they have.

Ah well, whatever. I'm just glad that my first day of classes are finally over. Stretching my arms, I turned around and walked down the staircase, smiling and waving back at some of my new classmates along the way. To be honest, I was surprised at the friendliness and the hospitality that they showed me today. They're nothing like the typical, snobby n' snooty rich kids you'd see on tv; they're really, genuinely, nice. Especially the girls. A lot from the other classes already knew me for some reason, and they turned red whenever I would walk by. I had to greet them (awkwardly; to be polite of course), though I had absolutely no idea who they were.

A sudden thought flashed through my mind.

Now that I do think about it. . I haven't really seen myself with this wig on. I just took my boss' word for my appearance without looking at a mirror.

Curiosity suddenly took over and I decided to do the exploring later; I really did want to know how I looked like.

I turned around to look for a mirror in the hallway I was in, but the only things that decorated the marble walls were potted plants, paintings and chandeliers. The glass windows were polished so well that they didn't reflect a single thing, so they were pretty much useless. Running up the staircase once more, I saw my not-so-empty classroom and ran down the not-so-empty hallways, trying to look for a private room for me to stay in. It's obviously not practical for me to use the restrooms right now because for one, people would wonder why a "guy" was entering a girl's bathroom; and for another, I could never bring myself to use a boy's bathroom for the sake of both genders' pride and dignity.

The entire floor was filled with people, so I ran down a couple more hallways until I reached this large area with a grand, carpeted staircase going up. There were a few girls walking around the place and they looked somewhat excited, talking about some guy named 'Tamaki-sama'. Two of my classmates were there -their names escape me at the moment- and they waved when they saw me.

Deciding that upstairs would probably have less people than the previous floor, I ran up and found myself in an empty hallway wherein I could see the school clock tower outside the windows. Walking slowly, I looked around for a room I could stay in for a few seconds, but the voices of the girls from downstairs were getting louder and louder. I assumed that they were coming up here and quickened my pace until I saw these doors at the end of the hallway with a sign that said 'The Third Music Room' above it. It sounded promising, so I pushed down the door handles and stepped forward, with the sole intention of hoping to find a mirror inside.

Boy, was I wrong.

Just as I had opened the doors, I heard a crash, and I suddenly found these. . these rose petals flying out, coming from an unknown source of origin. A bright light then engulfed me as I stupidly entered the room; and before I could say a word, a chorus of male voices welcomed me inside.

_-flash-_

I re-opened my eyes once more and I saw seven guys staring back at me; three of them including my classmates: the twins from this morning, and Fujioka-san.

There was also a tall, stoic-looking guy whom people would usually refer to as the 'tall, dark, and handsome' type of person; and on his shoulders was a short, blonde kid hugging a pink rabbit doll cutely. Standing to the far left was an (eerily) calm-looking guy with glasses, holding a black notebook. The three of them, plus the twins and Fujioka san, were standing around what looked like a throne where a blond guy with blue-violet eyes was sitting down on, legs crossed out in front of him.

All of them had roses in their backgrounds, and the kid had an extra of having pink flower prints appearing around his head.

Blue lines appeared around mine.

"Hmm?" Hikaru-san started, leaning against the chair blondie was sitting on.

"That's Kai-kun, isn't it?" Kaoru-san asked.

Fujioka-san looked at me with a surprised expression on his face. "Shukatchi-kun? What are you doing here?"

I was a bit too weirded out to reply so I just waved at them awkwardly.

"Shukatchi-kun, eh?" The guy with glasses then looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "You're the new student here on scholarship, right?"

I nodded dumbly and stepped back.

_-a lightbulb blinks on-_

"He is?" The kid asked, smiling at me cutely. "Woah, so, he's like Haru-chan the second!"

I sweatdropped and took another step back. 'Haru-_chan_?"

The blue-eyed blondie then stood up abnormally gracefully and walked over to where I was standing before he grabbed both my hands and started twirling me around in a weird dance. He was welcoming me to the 'their blessed world' outside the grasp of poverty and something about Fujioka-san going through the same thing so we'd probably get along well. I tuned out his words; focusing more on the fact that his uniform was rubbing my patch off painfully. My cheek stung and I was brought back to reality, catching onto what he was saying just as he was about to finish.

"But I never expected the new student to be gay" he said, looking at me with an intrigued look in his eyes.

My jaw dropped.

G-G-G-G-GAY!?

"Excuse me?" I found myself yelling, causing the others to flinch backwards. "I'm not ga-"

"Ahh! He speaks!" Blondie interrupted happily.

I muttered a curse and he let go off me, but I only had a millisecond to breath because the blonde kid suddenly latched himself onto my back while saying my name cheerfully. I yelped and fell down at the sudden weight on my back, making my injured area collide with the polished, marble floor. "Ahh. . Gomene. . Shuka-chan, daijobu?" he asked. I groaned inwardly and watched as the tall guy calmly walked over and picked the boy off my back as if he were a doll.

"A-are you alright Kai-kun?" Fujioka-san asked, sweatdropping at my state.

Of course not.

"Of course I am." I replied, sitting up, wincing slightly at the pain stinging off my cheeks.

They were all glancing between me and something behind me, but before I could turn around to look at what, blue-eyed blondie snapped his fingers and said: "Mori."; And the next thing I knew, the tall guy had me over his shoulder in the blink of an eye. I was then carried to a different room and tossed rather rudely onto a sofa while the twins shut the doors behind them.

"Anou. . " Fujioka-san said, blue eyes appearing next to his eyes. "You didn't have to do that to Kai-kun, sempai."

"W-what's going on?" I asked nervously, sitting up and fixing the patch on my cheek.

The twins shrugged and notebook guy loomed over me. "My apologies about your cheek and for holding you here," he said darkly, pushing his glasses upwards. "But in case you haven't noticed, the ten million worth of teacups which just came in this morning from Europe are now broken."

"What's that got to do with me?" I asked, confused.

"You broke them." he smiled.

_-Shock-_

"W-w-w-w-w-w-what?!" I exclaimed, standing up. "What teacups?! I didn't break any damn teacups!" The twins pulled me back down on the sofa.

"Anou, Kai-kun did break them. When he entered this room." the blonde kid chirped, more pink flowers appearing in his background.

I did?

I don't think I- oh wait. Was that the crash I heard when I opened the doors? I turned my head around and sure enough, there were bits of broken glass scattered all over the floor next to a toppled cart, which was right next to the doors.

_(Normal View)_

Kai paled and the words "**TEN MILLION YEN**" suddenly dropped down heavily on his head.

"Who would be stupid enough to place a cart with ten million worth of teacups on it next to a doorway!?" he questioned, throwing the heavy words away. Tamaki gasped and an arrow with the word "stupid" on it stabbed him through his chest. Kai sighed. "Never mind."

"Fine, I'll pay you guys back when I get the money, can I go now?"

Kyouya looked at him. "Are you sure you can do that?" he asked the poor scholar, who was still being held down by the twins.

"Of course I can, I've got a permit to work." he replied, pausing to make a mental calculation in his head. "It'll take me about. . two years though,. . and I'm sure you're still going to be here by that time" he said.

"_But Mori-sempai and Honey-sempai won't. They graduate this year._" the twins said slyly, looking at the two seniors standing next to the sofa across them. "_Even though you can afford the school uniform, can you afford to pay us back for those teacups within the next few months?_"

"They were specially ordered to be used for the autumn season." -Hikaru

"So your deadline's shortened to around two to three months." -Kaoru

"Wait! What?!" the boy's eyes widened to the point that they were as big as plates. "You mean that kid's a _senior_!?" he asked in disbelief, pointing at the happy-go-lucky Hunny.

Kyouya pulled the 'stupid' arrow out and Tamaki regained his composure. "Yes, he may not look his age but I assure you that Hunny-sempai is the oldest among all of us." he smiled, making a moonwalk over to the said senior. "His love for sweets and cute things, plus his cuteness alone, makes him our Loli-shota type of host. I just introduced everyone to you a while ago, weren't you listening?" he asked.

Kai sweatdropped. "Ehm. . no. . ?"

"Very well then!" Tamaki exclaimed, standing up and pulling the boy away from the twins' grasps. "I shall re-introduce everyone of us to you once more!"

_-background music plays-_

"Ouran Private Academy is defined by one, prestigious families and two, wealth. And prosperous people have much time on their hands. Therefore, this Ouran Host Club is about these handsome guys that have time, giving hospilitality to these lovely ladies who also have time, and profit off of them. It's an elegant game unique to this super-rich school. The beautiful looks that attract attention, the fearless rich men, the gentlemanship that will not overlook the evil in this world; it is our wonderful jobs as hosts to provide the ladies their happiness and good fortune!

All the princesses -and princes such as yourself, Kai-kun (Kai: E-excuse me?)- who come here, have the privilege to choose which type of host they will be designating. We have the prince type who is obviously me (Suoh Tamaki, class 2-A), the cool type (Ootori Kyouya, class 2-A), the wild type (Morinozuka Takashi, class 3-A), the little devil type who are these two unscrupulous twins here (Hitachiin Hikaru and Hitachiin Kaoru, class 1-A), the loli-shota type (Haninozuka Mitsukuni, class 3-A), and last but not least, our most recent member who is also known as the natural type, my dear daughter (Fujioka Haruhi, class 1-A)!"

"Dear daughter?" he sweatdropped, glancing at Haruhi. The twins pulled him back down and sandwiched him between them.

"_Anyway,_" they smiled tauntingly. "_How are you going to pay us back for those teacups? The princesses were looking forward to using them for the autumn season._"

"Ah." Tamaki said, sitting down on the sofa across them. "And we even advertised them to every class in the high school department."

Haruhi and Kai sweatdropped.

"E-err. . can't you just order another set for now?" the latter asked meekly. "I promise I'll find away to pay you back within the year."

"I think tono has something else in mind." Kaoru whispered to him.

"I hope you don't think badly of us for doing this to you, Kai-kun." the king said, looking at the new boy in the eyes. "But in Rome, you have to do what the Romans do! You will come here everyday after school to work for u-"

"Tamaki." Kyouya quickly cut him off. "Kai-kun already has a job to do after school."

"He can go there after club activities."

"Absolutely not." Kai stated impassively. "Every working hour counts, and I can't afford to lose two of them everyday."

"Fine." the blonde sighed. "Then what do you suggest we do?"

"We can talk about how you're going to repay your debt the next time you decide to come." Kyouya smiled at the boy, earning a confused look from the other hosts.

"I take it you know about my situation."

"More or less."

Kai sighed, and suddenly somesaulted off the sofa to avoid being pulled down by the twins. "I'll drop by tomorrow then." he smiled, landing next to the doorway. He then bowed at them and pushed the doors open, walking out of the room just as the designators entered.

"How did you know that our guests were just about to arrive?" Tamaki asked, impressed at the timing of the shadow king. They could hear some of the ladies whispering and giggling to each other as the boy walked pass them, exiting the third music room.

"Isn't that Kai-kun?" one said.

"I wonder what he was doing in the host club. . " another whispered.

"Maybe he was interviewed!" another exclaimed.

The hosts glanced at each other and smiled.

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[1] read chapter 40 of the Manga at for more details :D  
[2] Not the most creative name, is it? It just popped into my head when I was revising this chapter. Come to think of it, I never actually did manage to find out what the twins' dad's name was. Does anyone know? o.o

R&R please~!


	2. Chapter Two

**

* * *

  
Chapter Two: Sudden Accident**

* * *

_(Kai's POV)_

I. Look. Like. A. Guy.

Boss was right!

This wig _does_ make me look nothing like myself; and it's no wonder the girls in my new class kept on looking at me, I'm damn handsome! My black hair's a bit messy at the back part all the way to the top but my bangs and my side-hairs are neatly put. The uniform makes me look like I have broad shoulders and a small waist; my eyes look bigger than usual thanks to those special contacts my previous english teacher gave me as a goodbye present from junior high; and this patch's giving me this somewhat dangerous too.

Cool~.

Okay, pause, rewind and play.

As soon as I left the host club a while ago, I quickly left the building and headed towards the back of the main building where my bike was parked. I got on and headed home, passing by the supermarket to buy some seafood, which was on sale today. When I reached my house, which is the traditional japanese kind of house with all the wooden floors, sliding doors and tatami mats, I placed all my groceries into the freezer and headed straight towards the bathroom.

Got it? Great. Now back to the present.

I stepped back from my mirror and removed the wig from my head, running a hand through my long, layered hair. The cool air felt good, so I took off my blazer and loosened my tie a bit.

"This is what everyone at school think I look like." I muttered to myself, staring at my reflection. "A guy who looks like a girl."

Everyone except Kyouya-sempai, that is, who probably already knows otherwise.

I walked over to boss' laptop and stared at the screen. Sempai's data stared back at me and I read through it one more time.

The third son of Ootori Yoshio, the head of the Ootori groups and a powerful person who has hundreds of talented police forces working under him. Kyouya-sempai's now in his second year of high school, usually spending his time in the host club as the 'shadow king'. Saying that he has a lot of sources for detailed information would be an understatement, and I'm pretty sure that he already knows I'm a girl, even though boss applied me in as a boy.

I clicked onto the next window and Tamaki-sempai's data appeared. The only thing I read were his club-related information. I couldn't bring myself to read his background data; I wasn't in the position to do such a thing.

I clicked onto the next window and Hunny-sempai's data appeared.

Okay, to be honest, I was a bit bothered by the two seniors. Hunny-sempai was the loli-shota type of the club, but he seemed to have a deeper understanding of everything going on around him. I didn't know how I managed to come up with this, but I just suddenly had the feeling that I shouldn't take him too lightly. As for Mori-sempai, for some reason, his presence seemed all too familiar to me. I might have met him somewhere before but I can't recall a single thing.

I closed the windows, not bothering with my classmates' data anymore. I'm going to be with them for the next two and a half years anyway.

I shut the laptop down and picked up my phone.

6:46

Fourteen minutes before the next hour, and I've done everything I needed to do.

I've already planned out a solution for my debt to the host club. If I asked the school for permission to take two jobs, I can work two shifts a day and earn twice as much as I normally do; and if I also work full-time during the weekends and christmas break, I can earn ten million yen in about eight to ten months time. Problem solved.

I smiled to myself and looked around. My homework's done, the house is cleaned up, I ate my dinner and it's still light out.

Seeing that there wasn't anything else to do, I picked up my jacket and my bicycle, and sped off for the cafe.

xoxoxoxoxo

xoxoxoxoxo

_The next day: Ouran Academy- last period __(Normal View)_

Takamichi finished the lesson early and gave the class of 1-A a free period for the remaining time.

As usual, the twins had decided to toy around with Haruhi, doing their brotherly love act right on her desk. "Hikaru, Kaoru, get off my table." she hissed, getting red on the face from annoyance and embarrassment. Girls were staring at them, after all; and since she was in between the two brothers, they would assume that she was joining in on their act. She looked back at Kai with a 'help me' look on her face, but the boy was busy reading; face covered by the book.

"Ah! Hikaru!" Kaoru gasped, suddenly being pinned down onto the table. "Y-you can't!" Moe-fangirls held onto each other as they watched in anticipation.

"Hmm? But you enjoyed this last night, didn't you?" Hikaru whispered seductively, leaning forward.

"B-but. . there are people watching."

"Which makes this all the more thrilling."

"Hika- ngh!"

"HIKARU! KAORU! DO THAT SOMEWHERE ELSE AND GET OFF MY TABLE!" Haruhi yelled, pushing them off the table as the girls screamed in delight.

"_Oww. . Haru-chan, you didn't have to do that._" they both winced, sitting up on the floor and pouting at her.

She rolled her eyes and continued to sulk from the fact that she wasn't able to make it to the seafood sale yesterday, thanks to Tamaki's meeting. The host club king just had to make things so complicated! Why would anyone care about what he wanted to bring on their road trip to some beach on the other side of the country anyway? She ignored the twins continuing their charity acts to their classmates and continued to sulk. As the 'Moe!'-screams echoed around the class, Kai relaxed and tilted his chair backwards boredly, turning a page of the book he was reading. He was listening to some minus one music so the screams didn't bother him at all.

A few girls then noticed him in such a relaxed manner, and it just so happened that a beam of light which came out from nowhere suddenly shined down on him, making him glow. Hearts fluttered around them and they headed towards his seat.

"A-anou. . Kai-kun?" one of them asked shyly, rubbing her hands together.

He didn't reply, too absorbed in his book. The girl then blushed and looked back at her two companions, who were giving her the "poke him" hand gestures. She looked at him once more and lightly tapped him on the shoulder, before stepping back. Surprised at the sudden contact, Kai's chair tilted too much to the back and he fell backwards, dropping his book in the process. The girls screamed and quickly helped him up, deep blushes staining their faces as they apologized to him over and over again. This caught everyone's attention, including the twins.

"Gomen, gomen Kai-kun!" they said, embarrassed. "We didn't mean to-"

"It's alright, it's alright." he chuckled, dusting his pants off. "I didn't get hurt." 'Though I did lose the page I was reading. . '

The girls then relaxed around him and they began to start a conversation with the boy, who sweatdropped at their sudden eagerness to know more about what he was reading. Everyone went back to what they were doing while Haruhi sweatdropped at the twins, who suddenly had a mischievous look on their faces. She followed their gazes back to Kai, and a nasty feeling suddenly crept up her spine.

"What are you guys planning now?" she asked with slight reluctance in her voice.

"_Nothing, nothing._"

"Then why are you two looking at Kai-kun so suspiciously?"

"_Who's looking suspicious?_"

"You two are. You're smiling."

"What's wrong with us smiling?" Kaoru asked, intentionally sounding hurt.

"Ah, Haru-chan, are you jealous that we're smiling at Kai-kun and not you?" Hikaru smirked, leaning forward.

"O-of course not!" She suddenly blushed, pushing his face away. They laughed.

"We were just thinking. . " -Hikaru

". . . that maybe we should talk about something more than Kai repaying his debts later on." -Kaoru

Haruhi looked at them once more, then looked back at Kai, catching onto what the two were implying._ Recruitment? _She had to admit, he did seem to be popular with the girls in their batch even though he himself wasn't aware of it. It was just his second day at Ouran and he had already made friends with the students from the other classes as well.

They watched as the three girls talking to the boy soon became five, then seven. . and after a while, a crowd of girls and boys were sharing stories with him. (Though in reality, he just wanted to read his book in peace.)

_-final bell rings-_

Haruhi shook her head and the twins stood up to grab their things.

The crowd behind them dispersed as Takamichi dismissed the class, and the three silently made their way out of the classroom when Kai suddenly ran pass them. He quickly made his way out of the room and the twins exchanged glances. They nodded and grabbed Haruhi's arms and rushed out the classroom to catch up with the boy, only to find their other batchmates filling the halls; their target nowhere in sight.

~.~.~.~

'whew' Kai breathed out, running down the stairs. 'Now those twins won't have to drag me along with them to their club room forcefully.' he chuckled, remembering how easily they had dragged Haruhi along with them the previous day. He then ran out of the building and sent a message to his boss saying that he was going to be late for work. Since it was still too early to go to the third music room, he decided to explore the school a bit more, walking around the building and following the marble pathway leading to an extravagant garden maze.

'Looks complicated.' he thought, walking pass the entrance.

~.~.~.~

"How on earth did he get away so fast?" Hikaru huffed, looking around the crowded hallway.

"He must be a fast runner. . " Kaoru replied.

"He should join our school's track team"

"Or the acrobatics club. Remember how he somersaulted off yesterday?"

"Ah."

"Can you guys let me go? I can walk with my own feet you know." Haruhi sighed, still being dragged by the two. They looked back at her and shrugged, tightening their grip on her arms playfully.

"I don't think I want to let go of our toy just yet" Hikaru grinned.

Kaoru remained quiet at this.

~.~.~.~

Kai now walked along the windswept hill, looking around for a good spot to relax. He sat down on a random spot on the grass and lay down, pulling out his book so he could continue his previous reading. However, with the wind gently blowing against his face and the scent of flowers and grass filling his nose, he eventually -subconsciously- began to lower his book and yawn.

A cloud then passed by, blocking the sunlight, and he closed his eyes, dozing off.

~.~.~.~

"It's about time you three arrived." Kyouya said, looking up from his notebook. "Our king was getting so worried that he was about to call my father's main police force to look for you."

"Hai, hai. Gomen, gomen." Kaoru grinned.

"We were looking for Kai-kun but he seems to have disappeared." Hikaru shrugged.

They both dropped Haruhi on a random sofa and sat down next to her; Kaoru next to Hikaru and Hikaru next to Haruhi.

"Haruhi! You're here!" Tamaki cried, suddenly latching himself onto the female host from behind. The older twin popped a vein mark and started to pull the king off her, which led to a small argument between the two of them. The girl sighed in fustration as she attempted to free herself from their hugs.

"Anou ne, Haru-chan doesn't look so happy right now." Hunny said cutely, sitting across the four. Mori and Kyouya just nodded in silence, sitting down next to him.

"Thank you, Hunny-sempai, for pointing that out." She said, rolling her eyes. Hunny, completely oblivious to the sarcasm, smiled. "No problem!"

Mori, Kyouya and Kaoru sighed.

Hikaru then began to laugh when Haruhi pushed Tamaki off her, and he hugged her teasingly while sticking his tongue out at 'daddy'. Tamaki immediately slouched down at his sulking corner and traced imaginary circles on the floor, blue lines appearing over his head.

Kaoru smiled gently while the three sitting across them looked at him with knowing eyes. "I'm gonna use the bathroom. Excuse me for a while." he said, standing up. Hikaru looked at him, still hugging the brown haired girl. "You want me to come along?" he asked.

Kaoru shook his head. "No need" and walked out the doors.

The older twin shrugged and returned to tease the king.

xoxoxoxoxo

xoxoxoxoxo

Kai lay officially asleep on the grass, an arm draped over his stomach, the other over his head. The book he was reading rested on his face, shading his eyes from the sun as he slept on peacefully. Two large shadows passed by his still form, and his nose twitched when a strange smell suddenly entered his nostrils.

A few yards away, three second year girls were walking along the marble path, talking with each other rather loudly. ". . and then my father told me that I could invite at least two of my friends over to our summer house this coming weekend!" one of them exclaimed happily. The other two cheered and they all hug-jumped, unaware that two drunk men were making their way towards them. Only when one of the guys spoke did they notice the two drunkards grinning at them.

"Wh-who are you?" one of the girls asked nervously as her two friends held onto each other, scared. "How did you get here?"

The drunkards walked over to them as they backed up. "You don't need to know that, now do you pretty girlie?" one said groggily. His companion just smirked and jumped at them.

They screamed.

_-Brown eyes snap open-_

Drunkard one grabbed the girl in front of the other two and grinned evily, bringing out a small knife from his tattered jacket. The other two girls cried out as the second one circled his arms around their waists and pulled them close. They all tried to struggle out of their grips, but to no avail; and when the two began to laugh crazily, they began to shake with fear. The first drunkard then dragged the lone girl in his arms to a tree and brought out a knife from his tattered jacket. Her eyes widened and she started screaming for help, but he merely muffled her screams with a cloth.

Her two companions began to cry, yelling for him to stop as he threw the girl against the tree and toyed around with his knife. She began to choke on the cloth as she sobbed, and when he raised the knife in the air, her two companions screamed even louder. He smiled evily and plunged the knife forward; and she closed her eyes, waiting for her end to come.

"Oy!" a voice suddenly cried out angrily. A book then hurled towards the drunkard's head from the side and hit him square on the spot above his ear. He cried out in pain, dropping the knife in the process, and released his hold on the girl to rub the stinging spot on his head. The girl quickly escaped and they all looked at the direction where the book came from, only to see Kai glaring at the two men with a dark expression on his face. The injured drunkard growled and got up with the knife once more.

Kai then grabbed the girl's hand and pushed her out of harm's way just as the drunkard swung his knife at them, receiving a cut in the process. He winced and smirked at the same time, taking advantage of the short distance between him and the older man. He stooped down low while swinging his leg around, tripping the drunk, before kicking the same leg upward, foot colliding with the chin. The man flew backwards and crashed head-first onto the solid tree trunk, knocking him out temporarily. The second drunkard growled and pushed the two girls away, crying out angrily as he ran towards Kai. He attempted to punch the boy but Kai merely raised his foot forward, aiming for the area in between the guy's legs.

The three girls flinched at the collision.

The drunkard then screamed out in pain and held onto his area while cursing out a string of colorful words at the laughing boy. Kai wiped away the tears that formed in his eyes and pushed the guy down next to his companion, picking up the fallen knife along the way. He then glared at both men, making the conscious one cry out in fear, and raised the knife as he loomed over them. Thinking that the boy was going to stab him, he held up his arms, but Kai just smirked and plunged the knife on the spot above their heads. The drunkard then screamed the moment he heard the stab, and fainted.

"Didn't your parents ever teach you not to treat girls badly?" Kai frowned, shaking his head and picking up his book from the ground.

The three girls trembled at what had just happened and watched their savior tie the two unconscious men to the tree. (Because in the anime world, you can bring things like ropes out of nowhere!) They noticed that he was breathing quite hard, and when he turned around to face them, they saw a deep cut on his shoulder, oozing out a dangerous amount of blood.

"A-are you alright?" he asked, putting a hand over his shoulder. They nodded with teary eyes and thanked him simultaneously.

"W-we should be the one asking you that!" one of them exclaimed, looking at the cut, concerned. "You're Kai-kun, right? You're shoulder's bleeding!"

A question mark appeared over his head and he looked down at the now bloody hand he had previously placed on his shoulder. "Ah." he blinked, watching as the red liquid dripped down onto the ground. His face paled. "Strange, I don't feel anything at all-. . " And then, he faltered, feeling a sudden wave of wooziness spreading throughout his head; and before any of them could say anything, his legs gave way and he fell forward, blacking out completely.

The three girls cried out and caught his limp form just before he collided with the ground before calling out his name worriedly. His face was extremely pale and his blazer was already getting heavy from the amount of blood it was soaking in.

"We have to get him to the hospital!" the girl he first saved ordered, pressing her handkerchief down on his wound. "Call an ambulance, quickly!"

"What's going on over there?" a new voice called out. The three of them turned their heads around and saw one of the Hitachiin twins staring at them curiously. His eyed widened when he saw the familiar face of the boy resting on one of the girl's lap. "Kai-kun?! Shimatta! What happened?" he questioned, running over to them.

"Hitachiin-san! Thank kami you're here! We have to bring Kai-kun to the hospital as soon as possible!" they cried out in unison.

"I can see that! But what happened to him?" he asked again, carrying the boy up bridal style. Two of them began to explain what had just occured while the third brought out a cellphone and called the hospital. He cursed after hearing the story and looked over at the two unconscious men tied up to the tree with pure disgust in his eyes.

"The hospital's having an emergency room being prepared." the girl informed, snapping her phone shut. "My limo's already on its way here." The second after she said that, a long, black limousine appeared and they slid into it.

Remembering about his club duties, Kaoru quickly called Kyouya to notify him about everything.

xoxoxoxoxo

Kyouya ended the call and faced the remaining members of the host club while speed dialed his limo. "The host club is closed for today, we need to get to the hospital. Now." he announced grimly.

"Huh? Why? Did something happen?" Hunny asked, climbing onto Mori's back.

"Kaoru just called. Some low-class drunkards sneaked into the school and were about attacked Mayumi-san, Sakura-san and Niko-san." He glanced at Tamaki, who was looking at him worriedly.

"They're fine, though. Kai-kun somehow got himself involved, but was injured in the process. Kaoru says he has a deep cut on his shoulder and it's bleeding a lot so they're bringing him to the hospital."

"Kaoru's with them now?" Hikaru asked, standing up.

Kyouya nodded, and they all quickly rushed out of the room.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

R&R's please!


	3. Chapter Three

* * *

**Chapter Three: Kaoru Finds Out**

**

* * *

  
**_A young girl with huge brown eyes sat down on the grounds of a private beach, staring at the glistening ocean spread out in front of her. She wiggled her toes playfully on the cool, wet sand and watched as the waves rolled over the water's surface, shivering slightly when a cool breeze blew against her small form.__"Imouto-chan? Are you there?" a young male voice suddenly called out. She looked up from her spot and waved at the newcomer. "Hey there, onii-chan."_

_The boy waved back and sat down on the sand next to her, wrapping a blanket around their shoulders. "You're going to get sick like this, y'know." he smiled._

_"I'm fine." she pouted, unwrapping herself and giving her brother the whole blanket to snuggle into. "I'm not cold anyway."_

_The breeze blew against them once more and her teeth chattered._

_"Not cold, eh?" he smirked._

_She shook her head stubbornly but shivered once more as the wind blew against them for the third time. Her brother then chuckled and draped the blanket over them both, hugging her close to warm her up._

_"I'm not cold." she mumbled, hugging her knees. Her brother raised a brow._

_"I think I know when you're feeling cold and when you're not." he smirked. The girl sighed and said nothing._

_-silence-_

_"Imouto-chan got scolded again while I went out, right?" he asked softly._

_She shrugged and continued to watch the waves in silence. He gave her his best puppy-dog pout and she groaned, slapping him on the shoulder playfully._

_"I didn't do anything wrong." she finally said. "She made a mistake and I was just trying to help her by telling her the correct answer; but she just started yelling at me, saying that she wasn't stupid and that I didn't have to act like some genius."_

_Her brother smiled gently and patted her head. "Guess she doesn't like being corrected. We should just leave her and auntie alone, after all, we're the ones who had to move in with them in such short notice. They're probably still adjusting to having two more people staying at their place."_

_She nodded and leaned against him. "I miss okaasan and otousan. At least they know how to take care of us. . " she whispered softly._

_"Me too. ." the boy whispered back, draping an arm over his sister's shoulder and smiling as she snuggled into him comfortably. "But you know, at least we have an aunt who's taking care of us right now, and a cousin who's soon going to be bringing us to her junior high school."_

_"Oniichan, you already know that they hate us."_

_"Yes, they do hate us, but, they're still taking care of us. That should mean something right?" he grinned._

_"I wouldn't call it 'taking care'. I can't remember a single day when I wasn't scolded once since we moved with them." she grinned back._

_"That's true, but look on the bright side, we're staying in a big house, we're going to continue our education, and we've got loads of new stuff."_

_"Yeah, but I still prefer living in our old house. You do too, I can tell. Even if it wasn't fancy and luxurious as this place, and even if we didn't have any arcade rooms, home theatres and a swimming pool, at least we had a home. . And a dad. . and a mom. . " she sniffed, trailing off._

_The boy smiled sadly and intertwined his fingers with hers. "But you're not alone now. We've still got each other, ne imouto-chan?" he asked, hugging her closer._

_She smiled and nodded._

_"We'll get through this, alright?" he smiled back, kissing her forehead affectionately. "Otousan and okaasan wouldn't like it if we kept being all sad and depressed like this, so cheer up and give them a smile, ne?"_

_The girl giggled and nodded, smiling up at the clear, night sky._

_"That's the spirit." he laughed, ruffling her hair playfully._

_"Oniichan, you do it too." she giggled._

_He smiled up at the sky without pausing and they laughed._

xoxoxoxoxo

xoxoxoxoxo

"Hnnh . " Kai mumbled softly, a tear rolling down her eyes. She opened them slowly and sat up, wincing from the pain coming from her now bandaged left shoulder. 'What happened?' she wondered, looking around at her surroundings. she then realized that she was inside a hospital room, no longer dressed in her uniform but rather, in a pale-colored robe. Rubbing the tears away, she sighed and lay back down on the bed, wincing once more when another jolt of pain spread throughout her torso area. The memories of the previous day then came rushing back into her head, and she suddenly felt extremely lightheaded.

"Waaii~!" The door suddenly slammed open, surprising her, and Hunny bounced in; the rest of the host club walking right behind him.

"_Oh? Kai-kun's finally awake!_" the twins exclaimed.

"What? Really?" Tamaki cried out, rushing over to the 'boy' laying on the bed. "What are they doing here?" she wondered, pulling her covers up.

"Kai-chan! Kai-chan! Daijobu?" Hunny asked, bouncing up next to the second year leaning over her bed.

She looked at them and nodded, smiling weakly.

"Oy, don't try to make him move around too much." Kyouya sighed, walking over. "He's probably still feeling the side-effects from the anesthesia."

"Iie, I'm fine." she said softly, closing her eyes. "Just a little tired, that's all."

They all hung their jackets (except fot Haruhi) inside the small closet in the room and sat down on the sofa across the bed, watching as the shadow king lifted the mattress upward with the remote so the 'boy' could sit up without any effort.

"How long have I been here?" she asked worriedly.

"Just one day." Tamaki replied, sitting back. "Sakura-san, Mayumi-san and Niko-san dropped by a while ago to visit, but you were still unconscious when they came."

"Sakura-sempai, Mayumi-sempai and Niko-sempai. . eh?"

Haruhi and the twins nodded.

"Takamichi-sensei excused you from everything today since they explained to him everything that had happened yesterday." the former smiled. "It took us all by surprise though, the school's now investigating how those two drunkards managed to get inside the campus unnoticed."

"Kyouya-sempai's police force surrounded the entire place." Hikaru grinned, leaning on her shoulders playfully (irking Tamaki). "And we were dismissed early so they can finish their investigations before the day ends."

"What about the two drunkards? What happened to them?" Kai asked.

"I am taking care of them personally." Kyouya smiled. The room suddenly felt cold and they all sweatdropped.

"A-Anyway," Tamaki coughed, bringing the room back to its normal temperature. He then stood up and bowed down in front of her. "In behalf of the entire second year batch, I'd like to thank you for saving our dear classmates, Kai-kun." he smiled. "They're good friends of ours and they would've been seriously hurt if it weren't for you, so, thank you."

"E-eh?" she blushed deeply, waving her hands in the air, embarrassed. "N-no, it wasn't that big a deal. A-a-anyone would have done the same thing." she stuttered.

"Aww, no need to be so modest, Kai-kun." Hikaru grinned. "You did save those three sempais lives."

"B-but, I'm pretty sure Hunny-sempai and Mori-sempai would've done a whole lot better than I did. . p-please stop bowing, Tamaki-sempai. . " They smiled as she tried to get their king to stop bowing at her.

"You should be thankful that you got away with something that just required stitches though." Kyouya suddenly stated, flipping through the clipboard placed on the pocket of her bed. "Had the knife of that guy been longer, your shoulder would've been cut off by now."

"Y-you don't say. . " she paled slightly at the thought and hugged her arm.

"Also," he continued. "You've lost a lot of blood; but according to the doctor, you didn't lose enough to require a blood transfusion, so just take it easy for now. Sakura-san's father is paying for your hospital bills so you don't have to worry about anything. He also thanks you from the bottom of his heart."

"A-ah." she blushed again and looked down embarrassedly.

"Anou ne, Kai-chan works in a cafe, right?" Hunny suddenly chirped, raising his hand cutely. She nodded and tilted her head when all of the hosts sitting on the sofa suddenly sighed.

"Oh. Right." Kyouya smiled, placing the clipboard back in the pocket. "Your boss dropped by around fifteen times since yesterday."

"H-he did?"

"Ah." he sweatdropped. "He even brought you a slice of cake this morning just in case you were awake and 'craving for something special', as he put it. But since you weren't, he left it with the nurses and said he'd drop by again later after he finished his work to check up on you."

"'Craving for something special'?" she asked again, face lightening up. "D-do y-you mean, boss' extremely hard-to-make Special Choco-Ichigo Cold Cake?"

"I suppose. . " he sweatdropped again, looking back at Hunny.

"D-did it have three pastry-like layers with a healthy, creamy filling, a dark-chocolate icing, and a topping of freshly cut strawberries and light cream?" she asked excitedly.

"It did!" Hunny exclaimed in an excited manner, jumping up and down on his seat like a kid. "It tasted so good too!"

"Of course it does!" she cheered happily. "He only makes it twice or thrice a year with the really, really, expensive ingredients! I can't believe he actually made one and is givi- . . wait, what?!"

They all sweatdropped and looked away while Hunny suddenly stood very still, a -very- faraway look in his eyes with drool dripping out of his mouth. Her jaw dropped.

"H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-HUNNY-SEMPAI?!?!" she exclaimed, reaching forward to grab onto his tie and pull him close. She sniffed his mouth and froze, sniffling as her eyes suddenly welled up with huge tears. "Hunny-sempai!" she wailed, shaking the blonde senior's collar frantically. "You didn't~!"

"_It's a complex_." The twin said, amazed. "_It's a cake complex. Hunny-sempai finally found someone else who shares the same love for cakes as he does_."

"You don't understand!" Kai wailed louder, biting onto Hunny's head. "Boss rarely makes his special Choco-Ichigo Cold Cake because the ingredients are so expensive and hard to find! I've only tasted it once three years ago and I've been craving for it ever since!"

"I'm starting to crave it too." Hunny agreed in a dazed manner, not really noticing that the younger 'boy' was biting onto his head. "Ah! Kai-chan! Gomene, that was your cake, wasn't it?" he suddenly asked, blinking up at her cutely. They all sighed again.

She nodded her head and wiped her eyes with the back of her palm. "Never mind, it's okay. I'll just wait for the next time boss makes it." she mumbled miserably.

"Is it really that good?" Kyouya asked, raising a brow.

"Boss charges a lot for those who want to buy a slice, and no one had ever complained because, according to them, every cent was worth it." she sighed, hugging Hunny close to her like a doll.

"I see." he smiled, bringing out his notebook and writing something down.

"Anou ne, Kai-chan, do you like eating cakes too?" the senior asked, looking up at her.

"They're okay, but I prefer eating the ones that boss makes." She smiled, blushing lightly. Hunny's eyes widened. _-a lightbulb flickers on and off-_

"_And now it's the rise of the cake buddies_."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Haruhi questioned, raising a brow at the twins.

"Mitsukuni." Mori suddenly said, holding up a paperbag at the two on the bed.

"What's that?" Kai asked curiously, letting go of Hunny, who 'ehe!'-ed and sweatdropped.

"Anou ne, Takashi and I bought you some cakes on our way here. But then. . " he smiled sheepishly, opening the box inside the paperbag. There was only one small slice left inside it, and Kai chuckled. "I was hungry, you see. And the cakes looked really tasty, and I couldn't help myself. . so I ate it. But I left you a slice, which is good, right?" he then handed her the box.

'He's really like a kid!' she thought, amazed at the blonde senior's loli-shota-ness. "Nah, it's alright, Hunny-sempai." she smiled gently. "Thanks for the thought."

Kyouya looked at Tamaki, and they both nodded.

"We have an announcement to make!" The latter stated, standing up and waltzing over to Kai's bed. Everyone in the room looked at him, confused. The shadow king pushed his glasses upwards and smiled. "From tomorrow onwards, Kai-kun will be a part of the host club, not as our lackey, but as a newly recruited host. No questions asked."

The said boy froze and dropped the box he was holding. _'eh?'_

"EH?!?!"

_-the hospital trembles-_

Haruhi sweatdropped.

"Where did that come from?!" Kai yelled at the two second years. "I've already told you, I've got a job to do everyday afte-"

"I've already informed your boss about your debt and he has agreed to let you stay after school for two hours everyday." Kyouya interrupted, glancing at the sweating boy. "He said that it was probably better for you to spend more time away from work either way."

"Yeah right." she pouted, looking away. "His real words were: 'She's a real workaholic so it's probably better if you kept her away from the cafe for a few hours everyday.' weren't they?"

His eyes widened, and he nodded.

"Oh, so Kai-kun's a workaholic, eh?" Hikaru smiled deviously. "I wonder what motivates you to work so hard everyday."

"Come to think of it, you and your boss don't exactly have the typical employer/employee relationship, do?" Kaoru grinned. "He did look pretty worried everytime he dropped by the last fifteen times."

"His/My boss already has a girlfriend." She and Kyouya replied impassively. The others paused and stared at them, wide-eyed. "That, and he's more like a father-figure to me; a self-proclaimed guardian." she cleared her throat. Tamaki chuckled and slung his arms around the two. "Either way, he already gave us his blessings to include you in the club. So starting tomorrow, you'll be beginning your duties as a host in the third music room. If you can be designated by a thousand customers, your debt will be payed in full."

"A t-t-thousand customers!?" she gasped, feeling a heavy weight fall on her shoulders.

"Daijobu Kai-chan!" Hunny smiled, sitting down on Mori's shoulders. "Everyone in the entire school knows you already so it shouldn't be too hard for you to get that much designations."

"Ah." Mori agreed.

"If you want," Kyouya offered. "Since you can relate with each other more, you and Haruhi can pair up." (translation: since you're both commoners and can understand each other better)

"We can?" said girls asked in unison.

"Well, you're the only one without a partner anyway." Hikaru grinned at the brown-haired girl.

"Mori-sempai's paired with Hunny-sempai, tono's paired with Kyouya-sempai, and me and Hikaru are naturally paired up together." Kaoru smiled.

"Right, right!" Tamaki exclaimed. "And since you and Kai-kun are the same, you two can be the 'commoner duo'!"

Both girls cringed at the name.

"I-I won't mind being paired up with Kai-kun." Haruhi said, glancing at the boy on the bed.

"I won't mind being paired up with Fujioka-san either." Kai shrugged. "Just as long as we're not called that (terrible) name."

"Great! Then we've come to an agreement!" the blonde smiled. "As soon as you're released from this place, I will teach you everything you need to know about being a proper gentleman!"

"A-ah." she sweatdropped. Kaoru bit his lip and looked away, looking slightly amused.

"Well then, " Kyouya smiled, closing his notebook. "Now that that's over with, you guys'd better leave so Kai-kun can get his rest. Visiting hours will be over in a minute and forty-seven seconds anyway."

"What? But we just got here!" Tamaki pouted. "And besides, it's your hospital anyway, so why should it matter?"

Haruhi and Kai froze.

"Oh? Kai-kun and Haruhi don't know, do they?" - Hikaru

"Kyouya-sempai's family runs a lot of businesses in the medical field, and his family owns almost all the hospitals here in Japan." -Kaoru

"_This one included_." they smirked.

"But just because my father owns this place doesn't mean that I should just take advantage of my position." the shadow king said, pushing up his glasses. "We've been rather noisy ever since we got here so I suggest that you leave now to avoid any complaints from the patients staying in the other rooms." They sighed and reluctantly stood up.

"Well then," Tamaki smiled. "We'll just drop by tomorrow before we go to school, alright Kai-kun?"

She smiled back and nodded. "Thanks for visiting."

"But Kai-chan will be lonely tonight, won't he?" Hunny asked, giving the new host a teary look. "I won't mind staying over for the night."

"No, no, it's alright, Hunny-sempai." she sweatdropped. "I wouldn't want your family to worry about you, and I'm aleady used to sleeping alone anyway so don't worry about it. " The blonde senior looked crestfallen.

"He probably just wants to spend time with his new cake-buddy." Hikaru whispered.

"It's the power of the cake complex. Instant friendship." Kaoru whispered back.

"Ah." Haruhi blinked, looking down at the older twin's watch. "It really is getting late. I still have to prepare tonight's dinner."

"Then we'll give you a ride home, Haru-chan." the older Hitachiin grinned, glancing at Tamaki and grabbing her and Kaoru's hands. "Let's go."

"Ah, Hikaru, you and Haru-chan go on ahead." Kaoru smiled, pulling back. "I'll be hitching a ride with Kyouya-sempai today."

"What for?"

The younger twin just raised his brow and sent his brother subtle glances at Haruhi, who was pushing their king away from her.

"O-oh." Hikaru blushed, catching onto what he was saying before looking away embarrassedly. "A-alright, I'll meet you at home then." Kai's brow raised.

"Right." Kaoru grinned.

"See you tomorrow, Kai-chan!" Hunny chirped, standing in front of the doorway. "We'll bring you some cake so we can eat them together tomorrow!" The stoic senior just bowed with a small smile on his face, and together, they left the room.

"We'll be going now too!" Tamaki exclaimed, putting an arm around Haruhi and Hikaru's shoulders. "My limo broke down outside so I'm hitching a ride with these guys!"

"What?! No way!" Hikaru throbbed a vein, leading the brown-haired girl out the doors hurriedly.

"What?"

"Who's gonna believe a lame excuse like that?- Bye, Kai-kun, Kyouya-sempai, Kaoru."

"It's not an excuse! My ride really did break down!"

"You're just making that up so you can ride with the both of us!"

"That's not true! The proof's right outside the hospital!"

"You're sitting in the front seat then!"

"How is that fair?!"

"Hikaru! Tamaki-sempai! Urus-!" [1]

_-ding-_

Kyouya, Kaoru and Kai sweatdropped as sound of the elevator closing ended the noise.

"You two aren't leaving yet?" she asked, watching the younger Hitachiin flop back down onto the sofa to hug a pink pillow. Kyouya picked the remote up and fixed the girl's bed so she lay down flat on her back once more.

"It seems Kaoru here has something to confess." he stated, glancing at the said boy. "Or should I be the one to do it?"

"No, no. I'll do it." Kaoru sighed, turning slightly red on the face. A question mark appeared over her head.

"What?" she asked. "Did something happen?"

He rubbed his nape and avoided her gaze, embarrassed. "Well, . . umm. . I was the one who came with those three sempais here yesterday. . to rush you into the emergency room. . "

"Oh." she smiled. "Okay, thanks."

"You're welcome. But that's not just it." he said, turning redder. "The thing was, everyone was a bit busy in the emergency room so. . the nurse asked for a favor. . and umm. . .  
wyhdtshrpyh. . " he mumbled the last part in one breath.

"H-huh?" she sweatdropped.

"I said that wyhdtshrpyh." he looked down. She sweatdropped and Kyouya sighed, gently slapping the younger boy on the back.

"I had to strip you because your clothes were all bloody!" he blurted out, clamping a hand over his mouth afterwards. She froze, also turning red in the face.

"And thus, found out that you are a girl." the older boy finished, smiling amusedly at the two.

"Y-y-ou did what?!" she questioned, subconsciously pulling the covers over her chest.

"It was an accident!" Kaoru defended, blushing deeper.

~.~.~

_-flashback-_

"Is there a doctor here who can attend to this boy?!" Sakura questioned, screaming frantically at a nurse upon entering the emergency room. "He's been bleeding non-stop ever since ten minutes ago!"

The nurse, slightly shocked at the sudden outburst, glanced at the unconscious student in Kaoru's arms and gasped. "I-I'll get one immediately." she said, turning around to grab a hospital robe. "I'm sorry, but can you remove his clothes and put this on him? But be careful not to move his left arm to much."

"A-ah. Sure." the Hitachiin replied, taking the robe from her hands. The nurse then led him into an empty room and bowed before rushing off to get the doctor.

"We'll wait for you out here." Mayumi smiled. He nodded and the three left.

Locking the door, he quickly lay the limp form down onto a bed-cart and rolled up his sleeves. Kai's blue blazer was already halfway soaked with blood, but Kaoru was glad to see that the bleeding had slowed down. He gently undid the buttons and carefully took the blazer off, then proceeded to undo the white, long-sleeved, button-up shirt, which was also soaked with blood. Upon undoing the third button, Kaoru noticed that Kai chest was a bit bigger than 'normal', and had something wrapped all over his upper torso area. Thinking that the boy must've worked out, he continued on with the fourth button, then the fifth, and finally the sixth. He carefully slipped Kai's hands out of the sleeves and stepped back to throw the bloody clothes into a tray. He then picked up the robe and turned back to face the half-naked boy on the bed.

_-another lightbulb blinks on-_

Kaoru's face immediately heated up and he quickly tossed the robe over the still unconscious Kai. 'W-w-w-what the heck?!' he mentally screamed to himself, holding the robe in place over the body. 'K-Kai-kun's a Kai-_chan_?!'

"KAORU'S DOING WHAT?!? WHERE?!"

He paled. That voice sounded just like. .

"Why? Is there something wrong, Kyouya?" another voice asked. Shoot! That was the all-too-familiar voice of the king! The rest of his club mates were outside the room already and here he was, holding a robe over Kai, who was actually a girl and half naked beneath him! Shimatta!

"Why? What about Kaoru? Where is he?" He heard his twin ask.

Kyouya then ordered all of them to wait outside with Sakura, Mayumi and Niko before walking over to the room he was in. "Kaoru? Are you in there?" he heard the him ask.

Crap. Crap. Crap. CRAP.

The door then unlocked and the second year entered the room.

"H-hi sempai. . " he greeted weakly.

Kyouya's eyes widened and he quickly slammed the door shut behind him, locking it at the same time.

"K-Kyouya-sempai. . Kai-kun's a g-g-girl. . ?" Kaoru asked, trembling slightly.

He sighed and nodded in reply.

"S-so you knew. I-I see."

Kaoru's eyes then rolled up and he fainted.

The older boy gasped and quickly caught the younger Hitachiin before he collided with the solid ground and sighed once more, looking up.

Wrong move.

The moment Kaoru fainted, his grip on the robe loosened, which caused the robe to slide down to the floor, and thus, revealing a lttle too much of the unconscious girl in front of them.

Kyouya quickly looked away with a light blush forming on his face and he gently lay Kaoru against the wall. He picked up the robe, wrapped it around Kai with his eyes closed, and called for another doctor's attention.

_-end of flashback-_

~.~.~

"I'm sorry! I didn't know!" The younger Hitachiin exclaimed, still embarrassed. "The nurse asked me to change your clothes because she had to call the doctor! So I took off you blazer, . . and your shirt. . and I found out. . then Kyouya-sempai came in. . " the poor boy was so flustered he looked like he would pass out soon.

"D-d-d-did you see anything?" Kai asked nervously.

The sudden nosebleed Kaoru had and the light blush that formed on Kyouya's cheeks answered her question. The latter 'ahem'-ed and calmly handed the former the tissue box, which he gratefully accepted.

"Wait, what? Kyouya-sempai? You too?!" she asked incredulously.

"It was unintentional." he replied, pushing his glasses upwards.

She groaned and pulled the covers over her head, embarrassed beyond words.

xoxoxoxoxo

xoxoxoxoxo

"Bye Hunny-sempai! Bye Mori-sempai!" Hikaru and Haruhi waved, driving off in the former's limousine.

"Bye byeeeee~" Hunny waved. Mori smiled before looking down, concerned, at the suddenly depressed second year shrinking next to them.

"Haruhi didn't say goodbye to me." He mumbled, drawing gloomy-looking lines on the ground. "And I didn't get to ride with them in the end."

"Anou ne, Tama-chan can ride with us." Hunny smiled cutely, jumping off his friend's shoulders to comfort the other blonde.

Mori 'ah'-ed and noticed something missing. "Mitsukuni, where's Usa-chan?"

"Eh?" the shorter boy blinked, looking down at his empty arms. "WAAAAHHH!! Usa-chan? Where's my Usa-chan?!?" he cried, waving his arms around in panic. "Usa-chan! !"

"Maybe you just left him upstairs." Mori sighed, kneeling down to pat him on the head. "I'll go check. Stay here with Tamaki."

Hunny sniffed and nodded. "Thanks, Takashi." he said softly.

Sparkled surrounded them and random passers-by stopped to stare at the two.

xoxoxoxoxo

xoxoxoxoxo

The three sat in semi-awkward silence, Kaoru sending Kai curious glances every now and then.

"What?" she asked, raising a brow. Kyouya looked up from his notebooke and smirked.

"N-nothing." the younger Hitachiin replied, looking away. "I was just wondering. . why you're pretending to be a guy. . and how you really look like. . "

She stared at him with wide eyes and glanced at the shadow king, who was looking at her curiously as well. "You too, sempai?"

"Even I can get curious from time to time." he replied. "Take the wig off, Kai-_chan_."

Both first years shivered and she nodded, reaching up to remove the hairpins holding the wig in place. When the last one was removed, she slid the wig off and let her hair fall back down to her back. Kyouya and Kaoru's eyes widened, gaping at her, and she suddenly felt herself getting a little bit self-conscious. From their point of view, the moment she took off the boyish wig from her head, a completely different person revealed herself before them. Her eyes seemed bigger under her long lashes, and her lips seemed to grow rounder, fuller; she looked nothing like the male disguise she had on a few seconds ago. The only visible flaw she had on was the bleached part on the side and bottom parts of her hair.

"You know, you can stop staring anytime now." she said, getting flustered. They closed their mouths and recomposed themselves,

"The things a wig can do to a person." Kyouya murmured, amazed.

"Woah." was all Kaoru could say. She cleared her throat and looked away, embarrassed.

"I look completely different without this thing on, don't I?" she smiled, looking down. "It's just that the school's male uniform is much cheaper than the ones for females, so my boss suggested that I apply for the scholarship as a guy instead. He got me this wig last week and gave me some tips on how to behave naturally without giving anyone any ideas of my true gender."

"Your boss, he managed to trick the school by changing some of the data from your previous schools, correct?" Kyouya asked, sitting forward.

"Yeah, but only for one day." she replied. "He just wanted to make sure that the school really believes that I'm a guy."

"I see."

"Your boss is amazing." Kaoru smiled, hugging the pink pillow once more. "I'm impressed."

"Eh? Kaoru-san, isn't that Hunny-sempai's Usa-chan?" Kai asked, eyeing the ears flopping out from the bottom of the pillow. The two boys looked down at the it, and Kaoru inverted it, revealing the rabbit that Hunny loved.

"Hunny-sempai left his Usa-chan?" Kyouya raised a brow. "That's never happened before."

The door suddenly opened and Mori stepped in, looking around the room for the doll. They all froze.

"Ah. Sorry, Kaoru, can you toss me Usa-chan? Mitsukuni accidentally left. . it. . " he trailed off, staring at the girl on the bed with extremely wide eyes.

"M-Mori-sempai! We can explain!" Kaoru exclaimed, standing up and waving Usa-chan in the air frantically.

Kai groaned.

'Not another one!'

* * *

[1] Haruhi was about to say "Urusei!" ('shut up' in Japanese) but the elevators closed just before she finished.

Yep. That's all for the third chapter. Sorry if it seems too short! Just to note, Kai's pronoun representations will change from 'he/him' to 'she/her' from time to time. When it's based on Kai and the hosts who know her true gender, she'll be considered a 'she' but if it's based on the hosts who haven't found her out yet, Kai'll be a 'he'.

R&R please! :)


	4. Chapter Four

* * *

**Chapter Four: The Sweet Rebel is Born**

* * *

Time seemed to stand still as Kaoru, Kyouya and Kai sat frozen in their places staring at Mori, eyes wide in shock. The senior kept his gaze at the long-haired girl sitting on the bed, and his face got paler and paler by the second. "Y-you're-" he stuttered, leaning back against the doorframe.

"M-Mori-sempai! We can explain!" Kaoru suddenly exclaimed, waving Usa-chan in the air frantically. "It's not what it looks like! I mean, it is, but. . " he glanced back at the shadow king.

"This was too unexpected." Kyouya sighed, standing up and walking over to Mori calmly. He then whispered something into the senior's ear and looked at Kai, who was placing her wig back on her head awkwardly. "Alright?"

Mori sighed and nodded.

"Gomen, Mori-sempai." Kai said softly. "I didn't mean to surprise you like that."

"There's nothing to be sorry about." he smiled, receiving Usa-chan from the younger Hitachiin. "It's my fault for not knocking in the first place."

"You. . won't tell anyone, would you?" she asked nervously.

"I'm not in the position to do so. In any case, I can sort of understand why you're doing this." He then bowed and left the room.

Kaoru breathed out and sat back on the foot of her bed. "You were lucky he was the one who came in and not tono, or Hunny." he said, looking at her.

"I guess I am." she giggled. "Mori-sempai's surprisingly open-minded."

"Well, that describes Hunny-sempai more." Kyouya smiled, bringing out his suddenly vibrating cellphone. "Mori-sempai's more of. . level-headed, I suppose. He's calm enough to just take in things as they are, so you can trust him with your secret." he then excused himself to answer the call.

"He doesn't seem to talk very much though." she mumbled.

"His actions speak louder than his words. Everyone likes him that way." Kaoru grinned. "The only time he actually shows some emotions is when he's sleepy."

"Sleepy?"

"I suggest you don't try to find out why, Kai-chan." Kyouya sighed, placing his phone back into his pocket. "He was sleepy during club once, and he nearly gave Tamaki a heart attack when he started to flirt with me and Haruhi."

She sweatdropped.

"I remember that day." Kaoru chuckled. "What did you tell him anyway, sempai? That Kai-kun's actually a girl?"

"Ah." he nodded, walking over to the closet and putting on his blazer. "And a little something else. But then again, that's for us to know and for you two to stay out of."

"A-are you leaving already?" Kai asked.

"Yeah, it was Hunny-sempai who just called. Apparently, our king's still downstairs causing a scene because Haruhi and Hikaru left without him. I don't want him creating any trouble at my father's hospital so I'll be going on ahead first. I have to get back to school and study my team's investigation reports anyway." he smiled, opening the door and looking back at Kaoru. "I'll come back in around twenty minutes to pick you up. Until then, just accompany Kai-chan, alright? I'll let the staff know that you're staying here longer."

"Sure." he waved.

_-door closes-_

"King?" Kai asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He means Tamaki-sempai" Kaoru replied, pulling a chair over beside her bed. "Me and Hikaru prefer to call him 'tono' though."

"So I've heard." she grinned. "Why does sempai attach himself to Fujioka-san so much anyway? Are they related or something? He even called her his 'darling daughter' the other day. . "

"Ah, tono likes to think of the club as something like a family. It only started when Haru-kun joined us though."

"Mamagoto, eh?"

"Something like that." he smiled. " Except that tono's the otousan, Kyouya-sempai's the okaasan, Me and Hikaru are the sons, and Haruhi's the daughter."

"And how about Hunny-sempai and Mori-sempai?"

"I'm not sure. . " he paused, looking up to think. "I guess they would be sons too, but that would make our parents younger than them. . "

She giggled. "Sound like fun."

"It is. Believe me. And you're going to be a part of it now that you're in the host club."

"So. . what, am I gonna be a son, or a daughter?"

"Most likely a son."

"Glad to know." she smiled, rolling her eyes.

xoxoxoxoxo

xoxoxoxoxo

"Tamaki, get up." Kyouya called out, walking out of the lobby and over to the blonde. "What the hell do you think you're doing to my family's property, anyway?"

"Making an open-air aquarium." Tamaki replied gloomily, adding some stones and fishes to the fountain outside. "No one would care anyway." he pouted. "I'm just someone whom anyone can ignore and leave behind easily."

"You know, being emo doesn't really suit you." the shadow king sighed, grabbing onto his arm and pulling him up. "And didn't Hunny-sempai and Mori-sempai offer to give you a ride home?"

"They did." Tamaki replied, letting his friend drag him away from the fountain. "But they suddenly left me too."

"That's because their limo was causing a traffic outside while waiting for you. Of course they had to leave." Kyouya mumbled, tossing him into his own limo like a rag doll. "I'll give you a ride home so stop sulking, alright?"

The blonde merely nodded and looked at him with large, glassy eyes gratefully.

He sighed and pushed a pillow against the idiotic face Tamaki was giving him.

"Baka."

xoxoxoxoxo

xoxoxoxoxo

"Ne, Kaoru-san," Kai started, staring out of the windows boredly. "Why did you tell Hikaru-san and Fujioka-san to go on ahead without you?"

"Why're you asking me this all of a sudden?" he asked, looking at her.

"Just curious." she smiled. "I mean, I know you had to stay for a few more minutes to tell me that you knew I was a girl, but you could've just let them wait for you outside, right?"

He put on a hurt look. "What, you don't want me here?" he asked with teary eyes and pouty cheeks.

"No, no, I don't mind you staying here." She sweatdropped, putting her hands up. "You just looked like you wanted to be with your brother, that's all."

Kaoru's eyes widened for a second before he paused and grinned. She blushed and looked away. "S-sorry. Was I wrong?"

"Not really." he smiled, sitting down on the foot of her bed. "I don't really mind leaving Hikaru's side as long as he's with Haruhi. The best way for him to step out of the small world we share together is probably for him to spend more time with Haru-kun; and they're good friends, anyway, so I've got nothing to worry about."

"If you say so. ." she said, laying back down and wincing a little from the stinging pain on her shoulder.

"You alright?" he asked, walking over and helping her lie back down. "Does it hurt?"

"Only when I move it." she mumbled bitterly, biting her lip as the pain subsided. "This is going to take some time to get used to."

"I'll bet." he smiled, stepping back.

"Thanks."

"Wanna tell me why your hair's white on the ends?" Kaoru suddenly asked, glancing at Kai's hair curiously. "Even though you hide your hair with your wig, the first thing anyone would see when you let it down is the white part. What happened?"

"You sure are random." she grinned. "It's nothing really. Last weekend, I went out to visit my former junior high teacher, and we stayed in my old school's science lab since she had to observe some on-going experiment at the same time. When she was going to serve me some tea, she accidentally bumped onto one of the shelves containing jars of chemicals, and one of them fell off. I pushed her out of its way just in time, but another jar fell off the shelf, right onto my head, and she said it was just some kind of bleach that wasn't toxic. So, she let me use the sink to rinse it off; but because my hair's long, the ends ended up swimming in the chemical-filled water and I didn't notice it until after I got to work."

"Your teacher didn't notice it?"

"I guess not. My boss did, though. Though I think that's also one of the reasons why he bought me this wig."

"He has good tastes. You don't look half-bad wearing it." he smirked. "If I hadn't known that you were a girl, I probably would've felt threatened by now."

"You're exaggerating." she laughed. "But to be honest, I didn't even know how I looked like with the wig on until after I got home from school the other day. When I did, I could sort of understand why some of the girls at school were acting the way they were."

"Didn't expect to have such an effective look, huh?" he grinned.

Kai grinned back and nodded. "Yeah, I was extremely handsome." she said dramatically.

Kaoru laughed at this. "If I knew better, I would say that you're enjoying pretending to be a guy."

She smiled. "I am! It's kind of weird, I know, but it's way better than being treated like some weak, depending ditz guys used to do to me and my friends back in junior high just because we were girls. Now, I find it comforting to have people treating me like a guy -even though I'm not- and it's kind of amusing when girls talk to me with big, sparkling eyes. "

"I kind of know that feeling" he smiled back.

Kai playfully threw her pillow at him. "That's coz' you're already a hearthrob guy" she grinned.

Kaoru threw the pillow back at her. "So are you. And you're not even a guy." he smirked.

She shrugged and placed the pillow back under her head. "Whatever, it's fun anyway." She then faced Kaoru and placed her hands together in a pleading position. "Please don't let anyone know that I'm a girl, Kaoru-san. I really need this scholarship and the school might kick me out if they find out."

"Sure. You aren't the only one in this position anyway." he smiled, mumbling the last part. She relaxed and thanked him.

"By the way, there's no need to use honorifics. Just plain 'Kaoru' is fine." he grinned.

"Alright, but using honorifics is a bit of a habit for me."

"Kaoru-kun then. How about you? What do you want me to call you?'

"People usually just call me Kai-chan. The only one who calls me by my name alone is my boss." she smiled.

"I'll go with Kai-chan then." he smiled.

"Whatever you're comfortable with. Want some?" she asked, holding up the box with the single slice of cake inside.

"Sure. Got an extra fork?"

She set the box down in front of his head and he sat up, taking a spare fork from her hand.

"Itadakimasu!" they said in unison, taking a piece of the cake at the same time.

xoxoxoxoxo

xoxoxoxoxo

_The next day. . ._

-the host club is now open-

"Tamaki-sama, I baked some cookies for you. Would you like to try some? They're light, and sweet, just the way you like them."

"Of course, princess. But I don't think they would be as sweet as you are." The girl gasped when Tamaki lifted her chin and stared straight into her eyes. "Or would you prefer it if you let me try _you_ instead?"

"Kyaa~! Tamaki-sama!" guests all around the room screamed in delight, watching as the said host entertained the lucky girl next to him.

Kyouya smirked and continued to type away in his laptop, pleased with the performance their king was doing.

"I heard that the host club's recruited someone new to be Haruhi-kun's partner, is that true?" he heard one of the girls from Hunny's and Mori's table ask.

"I think it's the freshman who saved Sakura-san and her friends the other day." her companion replied, tilting her head.

"It is!" Hunny said cheerfully, bouncing up and down in front of them with Usa-chan in his arms. "He's the one who got this semester's scholarship, so he and Haru-chan have a lot in common!"

"Shukatchi Kai." Mori stated, shifting his position so the blonde could sit on his shoulders.

"No way~!?" a girl suddenly exclaimed, looking up from Haruhi's place. "Kai-kun's also going to be a part of the host club?"

"This is great! Kai-kun's really smart and cool-looking, even if he's just a commoner. He reminds me of another Haruhi-kun!" another squeeled, hugging the arm of the brown-haired host.

Kaoru smiled and walked over to where Kyouya was and sat down across him. The latter smiled back and stopped typing; curling his hand just below his chin and leaning forward to look at the younger Hitachiin expectantly.

"You were right." he sighed, sitting back and crossing his legs. "Kai-chan's already been accepted by almost everyone here despite the fact that she's only been to school for two days."

"It's only natural for this to happen." the shadow king replied. "After all, he did save the life of a real princess. And her friends."

"Ah. Tono told me that they wanted to be his first designators. She starts today, right?"

"The hospital released her early, so yes."

"Will she be okay? Her shoulder wound looked really bad."

"I'm sure she'll be fine. Tachibana[1] just informed me that she left the hospital around ten minutes ago, so she should be here any time now."

"Oh, alright then, great." Kaoru smiled, standing up. "I'll be getting back to my next guest then."

"Sure." Kyouya smiled back, watching him go as the conversation between the guests went on.

"My younger sister who's in the same batch told me that he got into an accident the other day, saving three of Tamaki-sama and Kyouya-sama's classmates."

"Ehh? Really? Is he alright?"

"Didn't they say that he was brought to the hospital?"

"What? Oh no! Poor Kai-kun!"

"How bad was he hurt?"

"I hope his face wasn't harmed. . "

Kyouya stiffled a laugh as Tamaki tried to bring his customer's attention to him and resumed his work, typing away on his laptop. 'If my calculations are correct, Kai-chan should be arriving in about five seconds. .' he thought to himself, glancing down at his watch.

5. .

4. .

3. .

"Is Kai-kun starting today?" a girl asked the two seniors.

"Yep!" Honey smiled.

2. .

Tamaki gave up, his customers were too busy talking about the new host. He stood up and walked over to where the shadow king was sitting and bent down so they were at eye level with each other. "Ne, Kyouya, when's Kai-kun going to be here anyway? It's his first day and he's already late."

Kyouya smirked. "In a second"

1.

The doors slammed open and Kai entered the room, panting from all the running he was doing. "Tamaki-sempai! Sorry I'm late! Takamichi-sempai asked me to run an errand before coming-" he paused, realizing that the girls were staring back at him with MOE-ish smiles on their faces. "-here. . "

"Kai-kun!" Tamaki exclaimed, death-hugging the slim boy. "You're finally here!"

"Yeah, yeah. Get off me" he said plainly, pushing the blond away and facing Kyouya. "Ne, gomen. Takamichi-sempai asked me to deliver some papers to the grade school faculty on the other building."

"It's alright. The ladies who designated you for today are waiting over there." he said, pointing to a table near Haruhi's place. Kai looked over the second year's shoulder and saw the three girls he had saved smiling at him. "Anou, I thought I was going to work with Fujioka-san." he whispered softly.

"You'll be doing designations alone for your first week. Sakura-san and her friends asked to designate you for this afternoon, so do make sure that they enjoy themselves."

"I'll try." he sweatdropped, walking over to his place.

"Kai-kun!" Sakura waved, scooting aside to let the boy sit down.

He smiled at the three of them and sat down. "Nice to see that you're doing alright" he grinned. They all blushed slightly.

"Anou, Kai-kun, How is your shoulder doing?" Mayumi asked, glancing at his shoulder.

"Nothing too serious. It's just a stitch, really." he replied. "The doctor said that as long as I leave it alone for a few more days, it'll be fine."

"I'm eternally grateful to you then, Kai-kun." Sakura smiled, bowing at him. "You saved our lives and even got wounded for us. I'm really sorry for causing you so much trouble. . "

"It's no trouble at all, believe me." he smiled back. "This is nothing compared to what my boss does."

They gasped, and Mori's and Kaoru's ears perked up as they subtly leaned back on their chairs.

"Not to imply that he's a bad person or anything." Kai sweatdropped again. "Boss is an extremely passionate baker, and when he teaches me the things he knows, he gets really strict and punishes me when I make mistakes."

"Can he do that? It sounds like child abuse to me."

"N-not really." he sweatdropped. "He's actually a nice guy; it's just that he takes cooking and baking really seriously. When I first met him, he immediately employed me to work in his cafe, and we gradually became really close over the years."

"Wait, so you mean to say. . ?" Niko trailed off, eyes widening. "Kai-kun, you _work_?"

He sweatdropped yet again and nodded, and all three of them gasped in horror.

"A working student."

"Kai-kun's an actual working student."

"A living proof of people fighting against poverty sits before us.."

Blue lines appeared over the two commoners' heads and they glanced at each other.

"So, where do you and your boss work at, Kai-kun?" Niko asked again, completely intrigued.

"A-ah. We work in a small cafe near my house, around twenty minutes away from here." he replied, getting rid of the blue lines in his background.

"Are you related?" they asked in unison. Mori and Kaoru's ears grew bigger.

"No." he sweatdropped, scooting away from them discreetly. "He's more of a guardian, really. And we don't live together."

"Eh?" Sakura blinked, looking at him with big, glassy eyes. "Then Kai-kun lives alone? Where are your parents then?"

All the hosts stopped what they were doing and stared at the boy, who looked slightly surprised at the abruptness of the question.

"Ah." he smiled gently, sitting back. "They died when I was really young. I had to live with my aunt for a few years after, until I moved to this city for junior high."

They all glanced at each other and Kyouya waved them off, making them resume their host duties.

"We're sorry." The three girls said, looking down sadly. "We asked something personal. . "

"No, no. It's alright." he grinned, giving them a thumbs up before changing the subject. "So tell me about yourselves. You're Tamaki-sempai and Kyouya-sempai's classmates, right?"

"Ah." Niko smiled. "We were classmates ever since middle school. Sakura-san only transferred here last year though."

"My father feared for my safety just after I graduated from middle school, so he sent me to my mother's homeland, Japan, so I could live a normal high school life." Sakura smiled.

"Eh? Sakura-san's a foreigner?" Kai asked, eyes widening. "I couldn't tell!"

"You don't know who Sakura-san is?" Niko and Mayumi asked in unison, blinking at the boy, surprised. He shook his head innocently and looked at the said girl with a question mark appearing over his head.

"Kinomoto Sakura-san." Kyouya smiled, walking over to them. "Her father and her brother rule the Clow country located in the middle of a desert. Have you heard of it, Kai-kun?"

"I can't say I have." he replied, scratching his head embarrassedly. "I only know about deserts in countries, but not countries in deserts. . "

"I don't blame you." Sakura smiled. "It's a really small country, smaller than Singapore, actually. Even I have a hard time looking for it on the map."

They laughed lightly and suddenly, out of nowhere, the word 'Realization' suddenly dropped over the boy's head heavily. "AAAHH?!?!" he cried out, blushing deeply and gawking at the girl next to him. "S-S-So then, Sakura-sempai is a p-princess?!"

The three giggled and nodded.

"And Niko-san and Mayumi-san are cousins." Kyouya chuckled. "Their fathers are brothers, and they run one of the biggest electronics company in East and Southeast Asia."

"Y-you don't s-say." he sweatdropped, looking at the three girls. "I had no idea at all. . So, does Sakura-san live alone too?"

"I'm staying here with my bodyguard." Sakura smiled.

"That's what she always says." Niko grinned, sending the former a teasing grin. "But Li-kun's obviously more than a bodyguard to you, am I right?"

"W-we're childhood friends." she blushed, looking down. "Of course I'd see him as more than a bodyguard."

"Mmhmm."

"Anyway," Mayumi coughed, saving Sakura from Niko's teasings and changing the topic once more. "We all saw how you fought those two drunkards off, Kai-kun. But no matter how much I try to think about it, I just can't tell what you were doing. It was like Judo and Taekwondo at the same time."

"Oh, I don't have a categorized fighting style." he grinned. "Since my part-time job ended at night, my boss got worried for my safety when I would go home alone. So, he taught me how to defend myself for two hours everyday after we closed the cafe. According to him, it's either I 'build up my defensive muscles or get beaten up'."

"Woah, your boss really cares for you, doesn't he?"

"I guess he does." he smiled. "I was surprised to know that he knew self-defense. I've admired him ever since."

"Maybe you should spar with Mori-sempai or Hunny-sempai." Niko suggested. "To see how well your boss trained you."

"I'd love to!" Hunny exclaimed, suddenly appearing behind Kai. Mori walked over calmly.

"H-Hunny-sempai?" the boy sweatdropped, looking back at the shorter senior. "Where'd you come from?"

"Our guests just left so me and Takashi are free now." he smiled. "I heard it. And I wanna see it too, Kai-chan's fighting style."

"I only fight for self-defense. . " he sweatdropped again.

"But demonstrations are okay to do, right?" Sakura smiled.

"Please, Kai-chan?" Hunny asked, giving him the puppy-dog eyes. [2]

Kai blushed before groaning inwardly. 'Shimatta. . The cuteness is getting to me. . '

"Are you alright, Kai-kun? You're look a bit flushed." Niko pointed out, placing a hand over his forehead.

"I-I'm fine." he smiled, standing up and removing his blazer. He then faced Hunny while scratching the tip of his nose shyly. "I guess a demo-fight's alright to do. . But go easy on me, alright sempai?"

The blonde's face brightened up and he nodded, handing Sakura his Usa-chan. Everyone else in the room stopped what they were doing to watch the two as Mori stood in between them. He looked at both fighters and stepped back. "You have two minutes to try and force the other down. Whoever can make his opponent lie on his back until the two minutes are over, wins."

They both nodded.

"Then, Begin."

~.~.~

Kai immediately jumped away just as Hunny threw two shurikens at her and landed sideways on the post, surprised that she actually saw his attack. She then lept off the vertical structure and aimed a kick at his chest, but he easily defended himself by grabbing onto her ankle, and whirled around to toss her aside. She made a backflip in midair and landed on the ground safely, reaching down to grab the shurikens he had previously thrown at her. Hunny then appeared behind her, attempting to knock her out with a karate chop; but she ducked below just as his hand was about to collide with her head, and swooped her leg around causing him to fall backward. Without any hesitation, she leapt up into the air and tossed one of the shurikens at him, but he merely turned his body around to avoid it and somersaulted across the room skillfully.

They both landed a few feet away from each other, breathing slightly hard, and smiling. Hunny then leapt forward without warning and immediately appeared in front of Kai's' face, surprising the girl. She crossed her arms in front of her, blocking his continuous attacks, and winced when her shoulder suddenly sent out a jolt of pain throughout her torso. Biting her lip, she jumped away and dodged another throw of shurikens, just before Hunny leapt up after her. They then began to attack each other midair for a few seconds before jumping back onto the solid ground, where she quickly loosened her tie and sprinted off to the right. The blonde eyed her movements carefully and followed her to the corner of the room, where she suddenly ran up the wall and made another backflip so she landed right behind him.

He quickly swung his foot around, aiming for her head, but she stretched the tie in front of her and caught it just in time. He gasped when she began to criss-cross the cloth around his calve and tried to kick her away, but she avoided his attack (barely) and jumped back. He yelped and retained his balance by hopping on his free leg, but the girl in front of him continued to jump back while pulling onto his captured one. Mori's eyes widened. After a few more jumps and hops, she finally produced the other shuriken and struck it to the ground, still holding onto his leg.

She looked up at Hunny and smiled at him, before taking a step backward. He was forced to hop forward, and he tripped over the weapon, completely losing his balance.

_No way._

Kai hurriedly whirled his leg to the side, bringing him along, and pushed him so he fell on his back onto one of the sofas.

~.~.~

"W-what-?" Tamaki stuttered, staring at the boy in surprise.

"Kai-kun wins." Mori stated, smiling inwardly.

The room then erupted into cheers and 'kyaaa's for the victor, who was helping Hunny up from the sofa.

"Gomen, Hunny-sempai." he said softly, unwrapping his tie from the senior's leg. "I didn-"

"Kai-chan, sugoi!" Hunny exclaimed happily, cutting him off. "I didn't expect you to do something like that!"

"W-well, I couldn't let you fall on the ground." he smiled, scratching the tip of his nose once again, shyly. "You might've gotten hurt."

"But though you say that," Kaoru said worriedly, walking over to them. "How about you?"

"Why? What's wrong, Kaoru?" Haruhi asked, looking at him.

"Ohohohohohohoho!" A shrill laughter was then heard all around the room, and all the hosts- except Kai, Mori and Kyouya- sweatdropped.

"Not her again. . " Hikaru grumbled.

Kai sweatdropped alongside the others when a high-powered motor suddenly shook the room and cylindrical spot on the ground with a girl sitting down in the middle of it began to rise up.

"Ohohohohoho Ohohohohoho, ho!" She winked. "The new host has proven himself worthy of our respect! First, he saves three of our schoolmates while nearly sacrificing his own life for them, and now, he manages to defeat our very own Hunny-sempai in a duel!"

"Isn't she in our class?" he whispered to Kaoru, who was staring blankly at the self-proclaimed manager of the host club with blue lines next to his eyes.

"However," she continued, bringing out a tissue and dabbing her eyes with them. "It seems that our Kai-kun himself has failed to notice his own pain, too focused on letting Hunny land safely on his back! Kai-kun, as much as we admire those who are thoughtful for other people, it's not good for you to ignore your own self either!"

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking up at her.

The curtains were suddenly pulled close, darkening the room, and a gigantic flat-screened television lowered from the ceiling. Kai and Haruhi sweatdropped.

_5. . . 4. . . 3. . . 2. . . 1. . ._

_-replay-_

Hunny leapt forward without warning and immediately appeared in front of Kai's' face, surprising the boy. He crossed his arms in front of him, blocking the blonde's continuous attacks, and winced when his shoulder suddenly sent out a jolt of pain throughout his torso. Biting his lip, he jumped away and dodged another throw of shurikens, just before Hunny leapt up after him. The sceen zoomed in on his shoulder and everyone in the room saw the exposed badages stretching. The video fast forwarded to the end of the fight and Kai saw that his shoulder was bleeding the moment he tossed Hunny onto the sofa.

The television suddenly blacked out the next second and went back up into the ceiling; while the curtains were drawn open, filling the room with light. The two sweatdropped again.

"Y'know. . you could've just told me that my wound opened." Kai mumbled, looking down at his shoulder.

"Oh my gosh! Kai-kun, you're bleeding!" Mayumi exclaimed worriedly, running over to him with his blazer.

"This is nothing." he smiled, before looking back up at the girl. "I'm sorry, I don't think I've caught your name. You're my classmate, right?"

"I am." she winked. "It's Renge. Houshakuji Renge. I'm the host club's manager."

"Really?"

"Self-proclaimed manager." Hikaru interrupted, glancing her.

"Ah. So you're Renge-san." Kai sweatdropped, glancing at Kaoru, who was nodding his head as if to say, 'she's the one I was talking about yesterday.'

"Kai-kun, you'd better clean yourself up." she smiled, tossing him and new, long-sleeved, button down shirt. "I welcome you to the host club, and I bid you farewell for now. Until the next time we meet! Ohohohohohohohoho! Ohohohohohohoho! Ohohohoho-"

And the ground closed.

Kai grew yet another sweatdrop. "She's. . charming"

"Indeed." Kyouya chuckled, walking over with his notebook in hand. "But she is right. You'd better fix that wound of your before you ruin your uniform with blood again."

"Are you alright?" his three designators asked, looking at him with worried eyes.

"It doesn't hurt that much." he smiled, standing up. "Excuse me for a minute. I'll be right back."

"Gomen, Kai-chan." Hunny apologized. "I forgot you weren't supposed to move your shoulder. . "

"It's alright. I had fun." he grinned, patting the senior's head reassuringly. "Thanks, sempai."

"Well then," the shadow king announced, looking at the rest of the hosts in the eyes. "All of you, your next guests are waiting." he smiled.

They were back in their proper places the next second.

xoxoxoxoxo

xoxoxoxoxo

_Two hours later. . _

_-The host club is now closed.-_

"Finally, this day's over. . " Kai sighed, leaning back on his sofa tiredly. "I never knew being a host would be this exhausting. You guys really do this everyday?"

"It's a lot harder than it looks, isn't it?" Haruhi smiled, sitting down next to him. "It's pretty hard during the first few days, but I'm sure you'll get the hang of it soon enough."

"I hope so." he smiled back. "Fujioka-san, you've got a debt here too, right? What did you break?"

"A ten million Rene vase. It was by accident, though."

"Everything here's probably worth ten million then."

"Most likely." she giggled. Kai's brow raised at this but shrugged it off, looking up to see the king walk over to them gracefully.

"Not bad for a first day, eh, Kai-kun?" he smiled, placing both hands on the boy's shoulders. "Besides the whole bleeding shoulder thing, you did a great job in entertaining Sakura-san, Mayumi-san and Niko-san. They've asked to designate you again next week."

"So now, you've got three official designators." Kyouya smiled. "Nine-hundred, ninety-seven left to go."

"Ah. R-really. "You don't say."

"It's a start." Tamaki offered. "But anyway, pushing that aside, now that you're officially a host, we must discuss your host type and give you your permanent rose color."

"H-host type? Rose color?"

"Yes, I- you weren't listening to a word I said before, did you?"

"I-I did! Those were the titles you gave to everyone else in the club." the first year sweatdropped, standing up. "Like you! You're the prince type, right. . ?"

"Yes! Yes! That's exactly what I mean!" the blonde exclaimed excitedly. "That's an example of a host type! And now that you're in the club, you must have your own type as well!"

"What do you want your type to be, Kai-kun?" Haruhi asked.

"I haven't really thought much about it actually." he admitted, scratching the tip of his nose. "You guys make one for me. I mean, you're already good at making up these kinds of things."

"I would ask Renge-chan to help us out, but frankly, I really don't want to." Hikaru shuddered. "She's too zealous when it comes to matters related to the club."

"Anou ne," Hunny chirped, bouncing onto Kai's back playfully. "I think Kai-chan should be the sweet type. He always treats everyone nicely and gives special treatment to the girls, right?"

"N-not really." he said, shifting his position so the senior could ride him piggy-back style. "I used to fight with the bullies in my middle school every single day; and there was also this teacher who I kept arguing with, because she kept on degrading my friend in front of the entire class."

"_But that's kind of understandable, right?_" the twins shrugged. "_We'd probably do the same thing except that Takamichi-sensei and the others are good teachers._"

"Okay then, how about the naughty type?" Hunny smiled. "Remember when Renge-chan trained Shirou-kun? She said that the classic line for the naughty types was 'this is nothing.', and Kai-chan said that a lot of times when we asked about his shoulder."

"That may be true, but Shirou-kun's already the naughty type, isn't he?" Haruhi asked. "We might make him feel like Kai-kun's replacing him or something."

"Then maybe we should give Kai-kun a title along the lines of being naughty." Hikaru suggested.

"I'm right here y'know." he pouted, still giving Hunny a ride on his back.

"Then let's see what your guests said about you, shall we?" Kyouya suggested, flipping his notebook open. "According to Sakura-san, you, Kai-kun, were very charming and easy to talk to. Mayumi-san said that you reminded her of Niko-san's younger brother, who got into trouble a lot and kept coming home with new injuries. Niko-san also said that you reminded her of her younger brother: athletic and smart, but accident-prone nonetheless."

"_Kai-kun's definitely accident-prone."_

"H-hey!" he blushed, looking at them embarrassedly.

"_Well, you are."_

"On your first day, you got hit by our car on the way to school" - Hikaru

"On your second day, you got that shoulder wound; yesterday, well, you know; and today, your wound opened up again." - Kaoru

"I'm still alive, aren't I?" he pouted in reply. "And I already told you, this wound doesn't hurt that much."

"_Though you say that. ._ "

"I said, I'm fine." he stated, looming over them darkly.

"I know!" Hunny suddenly exclaimed, pulling Kai's head back excitedly. "I've heard okaasan call Chika-chan this for a long time now, and I think it suits Kai-chan perfectly!"

"E-eh?"

"Rebellious?" Mori asked, raising a brow at his cousin.

"Ah!" he smiled in reply. "I think it sort of suits Kai-chan well, don't you?"

"How so?" the said boy asked, looking back at the blonde senior.

"Well, I think being rebellious is kind of sweet in your case, since the only time you act like a rebel's when you're standing up for someone else." he chirped.

"Then it's official!" Tamaki announced, looking pleased. "I like the way Hunny-sempai thinks. Kai-kun, starting today, you are the rebellious type. Or the sweet rebel, whatever suits you. And as for your rose color. . " he trailed off, looking up at the shadow king.

"Well, the only available color we have that isn't being used is the silver one." Kyouya stated, looking through his notes. "There's a whole bunch of them still being grown by the gardening club, and they've been asking when we'll be needing them. I suppose now's a good time."

"A silver rose, eh?" Kai smiled. "Sounds pretty nostalgic to me."

"Ah." Mori agreed quietly. Hunny glanced at him.

"Great!" Tamaki exclaimed, pointing at the boy excitedly. "It's decided! Starting today, you'll be joining the host club family as the Rebellious host, Kai-kun!"

Kai then stood in front of them and watched as silver roses and petals suddenly appeared all over his background with the words 'Shukatchi Kai, class 1-A, the Sweet Rebel type' appearing in front of him. Hunny hugged him from behind and smiled. "Congratulations, Kai-chan."

The boy's eyes widened a bit and blushed lightly when the senior's hand went dangerously close to his chest. Tamaki, however, misunderstood the look and suddenly jumped onto the rebel, rubbing his cheeks against his happily (see episode 24. It's the same cheek-rubbing thing that he gave Kyouya). "I see, I see! Kai-kun, you're this happy to be a part of the club, aren't you? Otousan's happy for you too!"

Kai winced when his shoulder began to ache from the weight on his back and front, and Hunny jumped off.

"Tamaki, you're hurting Kai." Mori stated, pulling the second year away from the boy gently.

"Ah! Gomen, Kai-kun! Did otousan hurt you?" Tamaki asked worriedly. "Did your wound open again?"

"It's fine." Kai smiled, giving Mori a greatful look before shaking his head at the king. "It doesn't hurt as much as it looks like it does, umm, otousan. . "

Tamaki's eyes widened. "Otousan. . ?" he repeated, looking at the his eyes happily. "You called me 'otousan', didn't you?!"

Kai nodded nervously.

The king then cried out something in French and happily pulled the boy into another one of his crazy dances, twirling him around and tossing him in the air. "For the first time, someone in the club actually acknowledges me as the 'otousan'! Well, besides Kyouya, that is. But Kyouya is the 'okaasan' so it's perfectly normal for him to call me that! Kai-kun, as my new son, you've made me extremely happy, and what a blessing it is to have you as one of my children! Oh! And it's only you're first day too! We must have this date recorded immediately! Today, the first Thursday of the second semester of the schoolyear, Shukatchi Kai has accepted his king as the father of the family! Oh, this wonderful feeling of acceptance, how blissful it is! Though I do wonder why Haruhi and those unscrupulous twins had never called me 'otousan' and . . "

"Does Tamaki-sempai always dance around randomly while saying long, unnecessary speeches like this?" Kai asked, jumping away from their king and rubbing his shoulder.

"Yes." they all stated impassively.

"Kai-kun!" the blonde exclaimed, re-grabbing the hands of the new host. "You've made otousan very happy today. And for this, you shall be rewarded! Your debt shall be cut by a third and you shall join us on our road trip this coming weekend to the beach!"

Kai's eyes widened. "R-really?" he stuttered. "Seriously? T-This is great! A-Arigatou sempai!" he cried out happily.

"Yes! That's the spirit!" Tamaki cheered. "We shall pick you up at seven am, sharp! Prepare a suitable amount of clothing for two days and your swimming gear as well."

"_Tono, he was referring to his debt_" Hikaru and Kaoru smirked. But their king ignored them and continued to explain to the rebel everything that they were going to do on their trip.

"Excuse me for interrupting your moment of happiness, Tamaki." Kyouya said, clamping the blonde's mouth shut. "But I do believe that Kai-kun needs to get going now."

"Your job?" Haruhi asked, looking at the boy.

"Ah. My shift starts in twenty minutes so I really do have to get going." he smiled, grabbing his things from behind the couch.

"Oh, alright." Tamaki said, removing the clamp from his lips. "See you tomorrow, then."

The boy nodded and waved before opening the doors of the third music room.

"Kai-chan~! Let's eat cake together tomorrow!" Hunny exclaimed excitedly, bouncing up and down on Mori's shoulders. "I'll bring us a lot so we can share!" The stoic senior just smiled at him.

"Okay." he smiled back.

_-doors shut close-_

"The cake buddies are officially in action." Hikaru smirked.

Kaoru just shrugged and watched as his brother began to tease their king once again with Haruhi in his arms. He then walked over to where Kyouya was standing and handed him back the clamp that Tamaki had on previously. "Ne, Kyouya-sempai" he started, "If Kai's going to the beach with us, how's she going to wear her bathing suit if the others still don't know that she's a girl?"

"She'll figure out a way." the shadow king replied, smiling. "But right now, her mind's probably still focused on the fact that her debt's cut by a third."

Mori then walked over and looked out the window. He saw Kai doing some stunts on her bike subconsciously from all the happiness, and even saw her punched her fist in the air. Smiling, he walked back to where Hunny was sitting and sat down across him.

'She hasn't changed one bit. . '

* * *

[1] Tachibana is Kyouya's underling, I suppose. He's in the manga a lot.  
[2] Hunny's already cute just the way he is. If he were giving out a puppy-dog look, imagine how much cuter he'd look. xD

R&R's please! :)


	5. Chapter Five

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* * *

**

**Chapter Five: To the Beach!**

_

* * *

_

A young girl was running along an earthy pathway, heading towards a quaint, little house sitting on the top of the hill.

_Hah. . ._

_Hah. . ._

_She carried a bunch of small, assorted flowers in her tiny hands, each of which were bouncing along with every step that she made._

_Hah. ._

_Hah. ._

_Upon reaching the house, she ran inside and lay all her flowers onto a small, wooden table; arranging them according to size, shape, and color. And when she had finished, she ran into the kitchen and took out a glass vase from one of the cabinets, filled it up with water, and ran back to the table. Taking care not to make a mess, she then picked up the flowers one by one and arranged them into the vase, humming a simple tune to herself as she did so. 'Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, never let it fade away. . '_

_A young boy then entered the room she was in and smiled to himself, watching as the little girl worked passionately on her flower arrangement. A lightbulb suddenly appeared over his head and he silently walked over to her, a mischievous grin forming over his lips. He made his way behind her tiny frame and casually looked over her shoulder, taking a good look at what she was making._

_The girl, still unaware of that boy's presence, smiled in triumph as she inserted the last flower into the vase and sat back to admire her work. She then stood up to reward herself with a nice, cold glass of apple juice and turned around; only to find herself staring face to face with a monster._

_YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH~~!!!!_

_-the entire hill rumbles-_

_~.~.~_

_Haki laughed uncontrollably at the horrified expression on his sister's face, a small flashlight held in between his fingers. She, on the other hand, was holding onto her rapidly beating heart while pointing an accusing finger at him. "H-H-Haki-niichan! That was not funny!" she screamed._

_"I know!" He cried out, still laughing shamelessly. "It was hilarious! You should've seen your face, imouto-chan! It was like this-" He then distorted his face into a horrified expression and burst out into more fits of laugher after a second._

_The girl pouted and grabbed her flower vase, walked pass him and headed back into the kitchen._

_"Aww. . is little kitty mad at me? I'm so sowee. . " he cooed in a baby voice, following her._

_"Oniichan. . " she said in a voice that said that she was going to strangle him if he didn't shut up. "Urusei."_

_"Tsk, tsk. So young and you're already saying things like 'shut up'."_

_"U. Ru. Sei." she repeated, glaring at him._

_He shook his head in mock disappointment and watched as she filled the vase with water._

After setting it aside, she walked over to the refridgerator and brought out a pitcher filled with apple juice, and poured herself a cup.

_"Hey, give me some." he smiled, grabbing his own cup from the cabinet._

_The girl reluctantly handed him the pitcher but still avoided his gaze._

_"Aww. . is the little kitty ignoring me now?. . " he cooed again, making a baby face at her._

_"Stop calling me little kitty!" she yelled, throbbing a vein at him._

_He merely grinned back and drank down his juice in four big gulps, then gave out a satisfied 'Ah. . ' afterwards. She rolled her eyes and sipped hers quietly._

_"Ah, by the way, imouto-chan," he started, pouring himself another cup. "Mom and dad called a while ago. They said that their flight was cancelled because of the weather there, so they'll be coming home tomorrow instead."_

_"Oh." she blinked, lowering her glass. "Okay then, what time will they be arriving?"_

_"Most probably some time in the evening." he replied, taking note of her crestfallen expression over the arrangement. "Those flowers. . They were for them, weren't they?_

_She nodded sadly._

_"Well, don't feel too bad. I'm sure they'll last until tomorrow evening." he smiled, reaching forward to ruffle her hair in a playful manner._

_"But I don't think they'll be as pretty tomorrow. . " she pouted._

_"Then, you can just pick some more in the morning. There's a whole lot of those in the fields anyway."_

_He gulped down his juice once more and this time, he gave out one very loud, very satisfied burp. She laughed at this while waving her hand in front of her nose. "You're disgusting."_

_"I'm a guy, I don't care." he grinned. He then stood up and placed his cup in the kitchen sink._

_"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, Takashi-kun's inviting me to his house later. You want to come along?"_

_She looked up at him and blinked again. "Takashi-kun? That guy you hang out with who does kendo too?"_

_"Yep. He called a couple of minutes ago to invite us over and aske- wait, you never met him?"_

_She shook her head in reply. "I've heard of him from you but I've never actually met him. . "_

_Groaning, he slapped his forehead and sighed inwardly. 'Some kind of brother I am. Not even remembering to introduce my own sister to my best friend.' "Alright then, I'll introduce you to him today." he grinned, recomposing himself. "You might want to pack up your stuff though, we might end up staying over at his place for the night."_

_"Yeah, yeah, yeah. . " she mumbled, finishing her juice before heading out of the kitchen._

_"Oh, yeah, Kai-chan, one more thing." he called out._

_"What is it?" she asked, poking her head through the door._

_"Imouto-chan, you've got to-"_ Wake up. .

_"H-huh?" she blinked confusedly, a small question mark appearing over her head._

_The boy smiled and nodded his head._

_"Wait, I didn't catch what you were saying, oniichan."_

_She then stepped back into the kitchen and gasped when a bright light suddenly engulfed everything around her completely._

_Oniichan?!_

Oniichan!!!

xoxoxoxoxoxo

xoxoxoxoxoxo

Kai-kun. .

_zzZ. ._

It's time to wake up, Kai-kun. .

_zZ- Huh? What?_

Kai-kun. .

_Who's calling me? Darn it, I feel so tired. ._

Kaaaiiiii-kuuunnnnn. . .

_Go away and lemme sleep. . _

Kai-kun! Hey! Psssst!

Groaning, I reluctantly forced my eyes to open as slowly as possibly, and looked up. The moment I did, I screamed as loud as I possibly could and slammed my fist against the intruder looming over me. Then, grabbing my pepper spray from out of nowhere, I quickly sat up and pointed it at the strangely familiar silhouette of. .

". . Tamaki-sempai?"

Indeed, the person looking back at me with the big, welled-up eyes was none other than my overly-dramatic sempai. I lowered my pepper spray and immediately pulled the covers over my head so he wouldn't see my long hair.

"Kai-kun! You punched me!" I heard him cry out. "How could you?"

"Well, what did you expect me to do?!" I yelled from under the sheets. "You freakin' scared the crap out of me! Why- How the hell did you even get into my house?"

"Oh, there was a spare key underneath your doormat." he smiled, suddenly sitting up casually. "Haruhi told me that it's normal for commoners to hide their spare keys there just in case the original key's not in hand. Genius of them, right? And since you weren't answering your phone, I let myself in."

"F-Fujioka-san did, did he?"

Darn it.

It is _way_ too early for something like this to be happening. Sighing, I glanced down at my cellphone and picked it up to check the time.

_-crickets chirp-_

W. . .T. . F. . .H. . .

"Sempai, are you crazy?!?" I yelled, laying back down angrily with my head still covered. "It's _4:32_ in the friggin' morning! You're two and a half hours early! Come back later!"

"Ah, but the earlier we leave, the earlier we get to the beach." he smiled, poking my ribs playfully. "C'mon, Kai-kun. Everyone's already outside in my limousine waiting for you."

"Tell them to sleep downstairs, then. I'm sure you all can fit in the living room, somehow. Goodnight."

"Aww, don't be like that, Kai-kun. Hya!"

I yelped when sempai suddenly pulled my blanket away and stepped back, grinning at me with the cloth in his hands. I quickly grabbed my pillow to hide myself and thanked kami that I've kept my curtains closed so no moonlight exposed anything.

"Eh? It's so dark in here, Kai-kun." he said, disappointed that he didn't see my surprised expression. "Where's the light switch? Mind if I turn the lights on?"

Shimatta.

"Don't sempai. There's no need. " I sighed, sitting up on my futon. "I'll get ready now. Give me five minutes."

"Great!" he exclaimed, giving me what I thought was a thumbs up and a wink. "Then I'll be waiting for you downstairs."

"Hai, hai."

He then left my room and shut the doors behind him, dropping my blanket over my study desk on the way out.

Groaning, I flomped back down onto my bed and sighed deeply.

It's definitely too early for this to be happening.

xoxoxoxoxoxo

xoxoxoxoxoxo

Here in Japan, people love having certain kinds of plants and trees in their homes. Every single house you'd in the residential areas would have at least one garden, a backyard, or a koi pond (to symoblize the status or wealth of the person living in that house). I don't know why we're like that, but I suppose anyone would just love and appreciate the presence of nature in their own place. In my case, it's the apple tree growing in the corner of my backyard. It's a young tree, really, probably just as old as I am; and it bears quite a lot of red, juicy apples for me to pluck off whenever I'm in a dire need of a snack. During the summer, I would pick the fruits off their stems and have an endless supply of freshly squeezed apple juice; and I would always enjoy sipping one, cold glass of it while sitting underneath the shade of that tree of mine. I originally had planned to bring some of those apples to share it with the host club, but by the time I went down five minutes later, Tamaki-sempai had gone all out and plucked the entire bottom-half of my beloved tree clean. My eye twitched.

"Sempai. . what are you doing?" I asked, dropping my bag.

"Oh! Kai-kun! You're ready already?" he smiled, climbing down my tree with a full basket in his hands. "Sorry, the apples looked like they were ripe already so I picked some. We can eat these on our way to the beach!"

I just nodded blankly and sighed.

Well, at least he saved me the trouble of gathering the apples. He placed the basket down on the grass and rinsed them off with the garden hose, and once he finished, he walked over to me and dumped the whole thing onto my arms. I yelped and stumbled forward slightly from the sudden weight, and watched as sempai reached down to grab my much lighter bag.

"W-wha?"

"Hurry up, Kai-kun! The beach awaits our arrival!" he then called out to me, waving his hand in the air. My vein throbbed.

Of all the- -censored--censored--censored--censored--censored- ! I oughtta -censored--censored--censored--censored--censored-his -censored--censored--censored--censored- and -censored-censored--censored- ! That -censored--censored--censored-!

"Kai-kun!" he yelled once more while waving innocently at me.

-CENSORED-!!!!!!

Haa. . Okay Kai, be cool. Tamaki-sempai's just oblivious, that's all. Accept him for that. You should thank him for at least inviting you to this trip and for cutting your debt off by a third.

I then forced a smile and struggled to walk casually, but the basket was so heavy that my arms were trembling, and every step that I took seemed more like an awkward stomp. Two long minutes later, I finally stepped out of the house, locked the doors, and looked up to see sempai's limousine parked along the sidewalk, waiting.

"Kai-kun!" he waved at me once more, handing his chauffeur my bag. It was a good thing the latter was kind enough to take the heavy basket off my arms too.

Once everything was placed in the back, sempai held the door open and I swooped into the vehicle.

And so it begins.

~.~.~

Tamaki-sempai's limo was bigger than I expected, but it was also a bit too stuffy for me. Just to share, when I was in junior high, I had this friend who was the daughter of some famous inventor, and she would give me a lift to school in her limo every single day. So it was because of her that I got used to riding long, fancy limousines. She's in France right now and we still keep in touch through letters and emails.

I relaxed into the seats and looked around at my surroundings and saw that indeed, everyone was there already. Mori-sempai, Hunny-sempai and Haruhi-kun (he insists I call him that) sat on the seat to my left, while the little devils and the devil himself, whom I assumed was the one with the sleeping mask on, sat on the seat to my right. Tamaki-sempai and I sat on the far back seat, in between the door and a small fridge with some drinks inside. There on the other end across us was a flat screen TV and a tiny cabinet filled with DVDs and video tapes, and in the middle of everything sat a small coffee table with some of Hunny-sempai's boxes (filled with cake, no doubt) underneath the glass.

Haruhi-kun, Hunny-sempai (both who were leaning on Mori-sempai) and Kyouya-sempai were still asleep, and the twins were snickering to themselves as they took some blackmail pictures of the sleeping shadow king (good luck to them when he finds out). We've been on the road for half an hour already and. . okay, I'm not gonna lie, I'm damn bored.

Sighing, I grabbed an apple from the pockets of my jacket and munched on it. The sky was still dark and we were thirteen hours away from the beach.

It's going to be a long day. .

xoxoxoxoxoxo

xoxoxoxoxoxo

THE ROAD TRIP : PART I

_-normal view-_

"Anou. . sempai, we don't really need to use limos or any expensive cars for a road trip, you know. . ." Haruhi said, blue eyes appearing next to her and Kai's eyes.

"Yeah." the latter agreed, nodding her head. "A normal car, or even a jeep, will do just fine."

The sun was on the verge of rising and the eight hosts were now standing in front of the Suoh car-house, which was located a few miles away from Ouran. All the extra limos, convertibles, jeeps, brand new cars, bikes, and minivans, which all belonged to the Suoh family, were parked there; and Tamaki was taking his sweet time deciding which vehicle they would be using for the rest of their trip.

"You two obviously won't be able to understand what would happen if we chose to ride what you call a 'normal car'." Kyouya hissed. "We represent some of the most influencial families in the continent and we have extremely high standards. If any of us were to be seen riding this 'normal car' of yours, people might assume that we're losing our power and wealth. It may sound exaggerated, but small things like these do lead to large scandals, and we wouldn't want that to happen now, do we?"

"Woah, chill, sempai." Haruhi sweatdropped, backing away from the annoyed second year.

"Y'know, I don't really think anyone would care if you rode a scooter or a taxi either way." Kai stated, looking at him in the eyes. "Isn't a road trip all about going to some far-away destination, miles away from home, with your friends? The fun lies in how you get there and what you do together; taking turns driving, listening to music that comes out of the radio -or your friends' mouths-, taking snapshots of every single thing that you see, and getting into some trouble along the way! If we're just going to stay in a limo the whole way with a hired driver, then what's the point?"

"Our only goal is to get to the beach before sunset." he glared. "And what kind of person wouldn't give up the chance of having a chauffeur drive him to his destination? You can still do everything that you just said either way. Well, except for driving."

"See, this is where we're different."

"Indeed."

"Okay! That's enough, you two." Haruhi sweatdropped, stepping in between them and pushing Kai away from the shadow king. "I'm sure Kyouya-sempai didn't mean anything that he just said. He's probably just feeling a bit cranky because Tamaki-sempai's an idiot and woke him up too early." she whispered into her ear.

"So, what, Kyouya-sempai's not a morning person?"

"Basically, yeah."

A sly grin then formed on her lips and Haruhi sweatdropped. "A-anou, Kai-ku-?"

"Haruhi!!!" Tamaki suddenly cried out, latching himself onto the brown-haired girl. "Help otousan choose a car! Any car! Kyouya's demon side is going to show up any second if we don't decide quickly!"

"E-eh?! Don't involve me in this!" she yelled back, attempting to push him away. Kai blinked and stepped away from them.

"Oy, tono." Hikaru grumbled, looming darkly over them. "Why are you hugging Haruhi like that. . you_ pervert_."

Two arrows suddenly pierced the blonde's chest and Haruhi took this chance to pull away completely, accidentally stumbling backward into the Hitachiin's arms. Kaoru then walked over to them, laughing at the gloomy state their king was in. "Refusal and Pervert, eh?" he chuckled, reading the arrows.

"I-is he going to be alright?" Kai asked, blue lines appearing next to her eyes when a white spirit suddenly left the second year's mouth.

"_He'll be fine_." the twins grinned.

"Guys~ let's use this one!" Hunny waved, standing next to a large, wrangler-type jeep with an open back. "Five of us can stay in the front, and three can stay at the back! It's perfect!"

"It's a bit tacky-looking, isn't it?" Kyouya mumbled, walking over to them with heavy-looking eyes.

"It's not." Kai sighed, pushing him into the vehicle. "Just stay inside and get some more sleep. Good job, Hunny-sempai." she grinned at the blonde.

"I wanna sit next to Kai-chan!" he smiled, jumping onto her back playfully.

"Cake buddies should stick together anyway." Hikaru snickered, sitting at the open area at the back.

"Ah." Kaoru nodded, taking a picture of the two.

Haruhi climbed in next to the older twin and was about to help Kaoru up when he was suddenly pushed to the side by the suddenly recovered Tamaki.

"Wait, wait!" he exclaimed. "There's only enough space for the eight of us in this!"

"So?" Hunny asked, helping Kaoru up.

"So?! Where's the driver supposed to sit?"

Kai, resisting the urge to scream and punch the king in the face, sighed exasperatedly and raised her hand up. "Anou, sempai, if it's alright with you, I can drive us there for the first few hours. That way, we won't have any problems. . "

"Eh?" he blinked. "Kai-kun, you can drive? Won't that hurt your shoulder?"

"Yes, I can drive, and no, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't bother my shoulder in the slightest." she replied, getting into the driver's seat and starting up the engine.

"Waii~ let's go then, Kao-chan!" Hunny smiled happily, pushing the younger Hitachiin into the space next to Kyouya. Mori then walked over with all their luggage and placed them in the back impassively, right in front of Hikaru and Haruhi's feet. Tamaki sat down next to them, Mori got into the vehicle and sat next Kaoru, and Hunny sat on the passenger seat with Usa-chan in his arms.

"You guys okay there at the back?" Kai asked, poking her head out the window.

"No." Haruhi replied dully, caught in between the two bickering boys. "Can someone please change places with me in front?"

"NO!" Hikaru and Tamaki suddenly exclaimed, wrapping their arms around her neck at the same time.

She giggled and sent Haruhi a 'good luck' smile before stepping down on the gas pedal. "We're off then!"

And they sped off.

xoxoxoxoxoxo

xoxoxoxoxoxo

_Two hours later. . _

"276 bottles of beer on the wall, 276 bottles of beer; Take one down, pass it around, 275 bottles of beer on the wall! 275 bottles of beer on the wall, 275 bottles of beer. . . "

The jeep overtook some cars and made a curve to the right, heading up the road of a mountain.

"Take one down, pass it around, 274 bottles of beer on the wall! 274 bottles of beer on the wall, 274 bottles of beer. . . "

Mori reached down and grabbed a few apples from the basket and passed them around to everyone.

"Take one down, pass it around, 273 bottles of beer on the wall! 273 bottles of beer on the wall, 273 bottles of beer; take one down, pass it around, 272 bottles of beer on the wall! 272 bottles of beer on the wall, 272 bottles of beer; Take one down, pass it around, 271 bottles of beer on the wall! 271 bottles of-"

"WILL YOU PLEASE, PLEASE, JUST SING ANOTHER STUPID SONG?!" Kai yelled/begged at her five singing clubmates.

"Why? I think this song is rather catchy!" Tamaki replied happily from the back.

"You know, sempai, the reason why we call it 'a hundred bottles of beer' is because we start singing the song with a _hundred_ bottles of beer! Not a friggin' five hundred!" she yelled, throbbing a vein.

"But you know, Hika-chan was the one who suggested we start from 500. That way, when the song ends, your time of driving would be up and he would drive next!" Hunny smiled cutely.

"Hunny-sempai, keep singing that tune over and over again and you'll get tired of it soon enough."

"I'm sure that won't happen! It really is a catchy tune!"

He then proceeded to bounce up and down on his seat while humming the acursed song.

The poor girl groaned and looked at Mori from the rear-view mirror with a 'how-the hell-can-you-stand-all-this-?-?-?' expression on her face. The stoic senior just shrugged and pointed at his ears, which had earplugs on them. She sweatdropped and faced the road once more as the five hosts continued to sing gleefully. She then realized how lucky Kyouya was to be sleeping through the noise.

'I wonder how he does it. . ' she sighed, not noticing the earphones attached to shadow king's right ear.

"270 bottles of beer on the wall, 270 bottles of beer; Take one down, pass it around, 269 bottles of beer on the. . "

~.~.~

_Another two hours later. . ._

". . wall! 42 bottles of beer on the wall, 42 bottles of beer; take one down, pass it around, 41 bottles of beer on the wall! 41 bottles of beer on the wall,. . "

"Aren't you tired, Kai-chan?" Hunny asked, sitting up and looking at her. "Do you want me to call Hika-chan to take over the wheel now? You've been driving for four hours straight, after all. . "

"Iie, I'm fine. It's not the driving that's making me tired but rather. . " she trailed off and glanced at the four singing hosts behind them.

"41 bottles of beer, take one down, pass it around, 40 bottles of beer on the wall!"

Sighing, she returned her gaze to the road ahead of her and accelerated, going up at 90 km/ph. They travelled down the mountain for a few more minutes until they reached an intersection right in the middle of the mountainside; Kai pressed her foot down against the brakes and halted the jeep completely.

"Ora? Kai-kun, what's wrong?" Tamaki asked, leaning over the side of the vehicle.

"The road splits off to three different directions at this point." she replied, rolling down the window and facing him. "Sempai, you're the one with the map, right? What direction should I drive through?"

"What makes you think I have a map?"

"Don't you. . ?" she sweatdropped.

"Well, I was just told to follow the main road until we reach the beach."

"And the main road splits into north west, northeast, and east here. Which one should I pass through?"

"Just go through the closest one. They'll probably lead us to the same place anyway."

"Alright, you said that, not me" she mumbled as she started the car once more. They then went eastward, not noticing the broken sign laying flat on the ground which said: 'Danger: Wild Bears Ahead!'

* * *

Chapter Five: To the Beach!

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	6. Chapter Six

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Chapter Six: When Hungry Bears Attack  
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**

* * *

_And so the trip continues. . .  
_

"I can't believe this." Kai groaned as she rolled down the window once more to face the king. "Sempai! Are you sure we're going the right way? We're just going higher and higher into the mountain when we should be going downhill!"

"I'm positive! I can practically hear the ocean right now!" the blonde grinned, giving her a thumbs up. "Just keep following the road, Kai-kun. Keep following the road!"

"Fine. But if we get lost, I'm blaming everything on you." she mumbled, rolling the window back up.

"Even though you say that, it doesn't really matter which road we follow, does it?" Kaoru then asked, leaning forward and placing his hands over her and Hunny's headrest. "From what I know, all the roads on this mountain range lead to the beach. Isn't that right, sempai?"

"Ah." Mori nodded, crossing his arms.

"If we get lost, we can just call our driver to pick us up. Kyou-chan's family has our positions locked on their private GPS so we've got nothing to worry about." Hunny smiled.

Blue lines suddenly appeared next to the girl's eyes, and the three (awake) boys chuckled inwardly.

~.~.~

Haruhi sighed and brought out her cellphone, the one that the twins had lent her. She had tired out from singing the 'bottles of beer' song ages ago and was now feeling a bit dizzy from having to sit down in between two singing idiots for so long. Her head was aching, her legs were getting cramped, and Tamaki's voice was hurting her ears (not that he was a bad singer; just a loud one). The view was also getting a bit tiring; the only thing she could see around them were trees, the dusty mountain road they were on, trees, some sunlight, trees, the cloudy sky, and more trees.

She sighed and massaged her temples, feeling a headache forming. Hikaru then noticed her grim expression and stopped singing. "You okay, Haru-chan? Getting carsick?"

"I don't think so." she mumbled. "I'm probably just feeling a bit restless from having to sit down for so long."

"Really?" he blinked. "Then maybe you should sit inside or something."

"Maybe I should. . but after we take a break."

"We'll be stopping soon for lunch. Just hang in there until then."

She nodded and continued to rub her temples, not noticing that the older Hitachiin was patting his shoulder so she could rest her head on it. Then, hearing him cough with slight embarrassment, she glanced at him and blushed lightly when he gently let her lean against him. He then shifted so she could be more comfortable and leaned his head back so she wouldn't see his own face heating up.

Tamaki glanced at them and smiled.

~.~.~

Sometime later, inside the vehicle, Kyouya finally woke up and instantly got annoyed with the repetitive tune that Tamaki, Kaoru and Hunny were singing. Luckily for him though, he only had to bear with listening to the last seventeen rounds of the 'hundred bottles of beer song'; which was actually just about to end.

"Take one down, pass it around, and no more bottles of beer on the wall!"

"It's time to rest, Kai-chan! Let's eat cake!" Hunny exclaimed excitedly, bouncing on his seat. Kai just sighed and nodded, driving the jeep to the side of the road while everyone else got their lunches ready. They then got off the car and stretched out their stiff limbs, grateful for the break from the long ride. Mori passed out some sandwiches and drinks and sat down with Hunny on the grass so they could eat together; Tamaki and Kyouya sat near them; Haruhi stayed inside the jeep; and Kai walked around, stretching her legs for a bit.

"The mountain air is definitely better than the air in the city." she smiled, breathing in deeply.

"Smells fresh, doesn't it?" Kaoru smiled, walking over to her with some sandwiches in his hands. "The air in Kyouya-sempai's beach smells a lot clearer though. Want some?"

"Sure, thanks." she grinned, taking the offered sandwich. "How far away is it, anyway?"

"Sempai's beach? About thirteen hours away from the city. It's where his family's private summer home is, so we're going to stay there until tomorrow evening."

They bit into their sandwiches at the same time and chewed it simultaneously, watching the clouds go by as they ate. Hunny glanced at them from his spot next to Mori and blinked cutely. "Ne, Takashi." he started, nibbling on a piece of strawberry bread. "This may sound weird, but I just realized, Kai-chan looks a lot like a girl when he's together with Kao-chan like that."

Mori just bit onto his bread (hard) and sweatdropped. "Ah."

"Wouldn't they look cute together if he really was one?"

". . . "

"I wonder why Kao-chan's eating with Kai-chan though." he blinked. "Isn't he usually with Hika-chan?"

"Ah. Haruhi said she was dizzy so he's staying with her in the jeep."

"Ehh? Is she alright?"

"If it's him, then she should be." Mori smiled, patting his cousin on the head playfully. Hunny just chuckled and nodded in agreement.

~.~.~

They all finished their lunches within a few minutes and got ready to get back on the road; and since it was Hikaru's turn to drive, Tamaki felt a bit nervous and volunteered to sit on the shotgun. Kyouya, Haruhi and Hunny sat behind them, and Kai, Mori and Kaoru at the open back. The older Hitachiin then started the engine and adjusted the rearview mirror calmly.

"Anou. . " Kai started, feeling a bit tense for some reason. "This might be a little late to ask but. . since when did Hikaru-san know how to drive?"

"I'm not really sure myself, to be honest." Kaoru replied, suddenly feeling nervous as well. "The only thing I've seen him actually 'drive' was a horse carriage."

"Is he good at it?"

"Ah. Ask Mori-sempai, he's taking lessons from him."

They both then faced the tall senior, who seemed to be contemplating on something. "His performance is. . satisfactory."

'Crap.' they thought at the same time.

And at that moment, the older Hitachiin stepped down on the gas pedal and immediately sped off, sending the three back against their seats with the wind pressing against them.

"H-Hikaru! Slow down!" Kaoru yelled, shutting his eyes close. The car suddenly slowed down without warning, sending them forward, and a 'sorry' was heard from the front.

"Takashi, daijobu?" Hunny asked, looking at the other senior through the clear window behind his seat. Mori just fixed his jacket and nodded, giving his cousin a thumbs up to show that he was fine. He then looked back at his two companions to see if they were alright, and his eyes immediately widened. Quickly grabbing Tamaki's large duffel bag, he placed it in front of the window and blocked the view of the five hosts inside the vehicle.

"What's wrong, Mori-sempa-. . " Kaoru trailed off, following the senior's gaze over to Kai's long, black hair being blown by the wind. His jaw dropped and he began to tap his head, trying to send the girl the message. "Um. . Ka-Ka-Kai-chan?"

"Hmm?" she asked, glanicing at him as he tapped his head, and a question mark appeared over hers. She patted her own head, realized what had happened, and panicked. Quickly turning around, she spotted her wig laying innocently on the middle of the road a couple of decameters away; and without giving it a second thought, she somersaulted into the air, landed on the ground on her two feet, and sprant towards it.

~.~.~

"Ora?" Hikaru blinked, looking up at the rearview mirror. "The window's blocked. Hunny-sempai, can you ask Mori-sempai to move the bag away?"

~.~.~

"Kai!" the two boys yelled in unison, watching as the distance between the rebel and the jeep got further and further apart.

"Takashi? Hika-chan said a bag's blocking the window, can you move it?" Hunny's voice chirped from the front just as the girl had reached her wig.

The two then gasped and stared at each other in horror. If they moved the bag, everyone inside would see that Kai was missing. If they find out that Kai was missing, they would panic. If they panicked, they would stop the jeep and get down. And if they got down, they would _see_ her. Panicking on their own, they then began to wave their hands frantically in the air, signalling for the girl to hurry up.

"Jeez, you two look like idiots doing that." she mumbled to herself, dusting her wig off and placing it back on her head. She then began to run back towards them when a sudden movement to her left caught her attention.

She froze.

Kaoru and Mori's eyes widened.

Walking out from the bushes was a large, hungry-looking bear; and it was staring straight at her.

~.~.~

"Hunny-sempai, are you sure Mori-sempai heard you? The bag's still blocking the view at the back." Hikaru stated.

"It is?" the blonde blinked, turning around only to see Tamaki's black duffel bag in front of the window. "Maybe he didn't. . Kao-chan, Kai-chan and Takashi must be having a lot of fun back there for them not to hear me." he smiled cutely.

~.~.~

"KAI-CHAN! RUN!" Kaoru yelled, frantically hurling apples at the bear in an attempt to slow it down. Mori just rummaged through a bag, searching for something.

"What the hell do you think I'm doing!?!" the said girl yelled back, running as fast as she could from the animal that was chasing her.

"Run faster!!"

"Shaddup!! You're not the one being chased here!"

He hurled another apple at the animal and it hit it on one of its legs. 'Ah. Shimatta.' he sweatdropped.

Throbbing a vein, the bear then growled out loud and ran even faster, catching up with the girl.

"Kaaaaoooorruuuuu-saaaann~~! Are you trying to get me killed here?!?!" she cried out angrily at the younger Hitachiin. She then looked back as she ran and gasped when she saw a large jaw about to bite her leg off. Then, thinking fast, she jumped up just as it snapped its jaw shut, and maneuvered herself midair so she could land safely.

"No! Kai-chan! That's-!" Kaoru gasped. Mori's eyes widened.

"Why do bad things always happen to me?" Kai sobbed inwardly, finding herself landing onto the bear's back. Tears streamed down her face as it looked around the area, searching for her.

"Don't move, Kai-chan.. kuma-san doesn't know where you are so just stay still, and it just might leave you alone. . " the younger twin mumbled nervously, feeling a bead of sweat roll down his face.

The bear then felt the girl's cold, shaking hands on its back, and it looked over its shoulder, its golden eyes staring right into hers.

_-kyaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!-_

"Kai-chan!!"

"Tasukete!!!" she cried out, holding onto the animal's fur tightly as it jumped around like a wild bull, trying to get her off its back. She held onto its back tightly and chanted a prayer continuously in her head as it began to run around in circles. Kaoru cursed inwardly and got ready to jump off the jeep to help the girl, but Mori stopped him and calmly handed him another apple. "Get ready."

The bear growled out loud and slammed its back loudly against a tree; but the rebel had already jumped off and landed a few feet away from it. She then leapt forward and ran towards the still moving vehicle, but a banana peel suddenly appeared out of nowhere and she stepped right onto it, falling flat on her face. She gave out a short-lived groan and tensed when the bear then stepped over her with a looming aura behind it.

It smirked at her. (Can bears do that?)

"N-n-nice k-k-k-k-uma-s-san. . " she stuttered, shaking in fear as she backed away from the said animal.

Panicking, Kaoru quickly aimed the apple and hurled it towards the bear with all his might, hitting it square on its face and stunning it momentarily. Kai then took the chance and crawled abnormally fast away from the dangerous animal before sprinting full speed towards jeep. The Hitachiin then grabbed her arm and pulled her in to safety, but because the jeep suddenly hit a hump, he lost his balance and fell backwards, causing her to fall on top of him.

The bear, now more agitated then ever, growled loudly and began to chase the jeep itself. Kai and Kaoru then cried out and held onto each other when it closed in on the speeding vehicle, glaring at them with glowing red eyes. "Mori-sempai! Do something!" they yelled in unison, frantically hurling more apples at it.

"Ah." Mori said, finally finding what he wanted. Then, without saying a single word, he tossed a white box at the bear, stunning it once again. The box fell onto the ground and a large fish rolled out along with some ice, and the bear immediately stopped chasing them. It stared at the fish for a few seconds before a heart appeared over its head.

"Hah?" Kai sweatdropped, watching as the large animal completely forgot about them and began to eat the fish happily.

"Where on earth did that fish come from. . ?" Kaoru asked, also sweatdropping. Mori just shrugged and sat back down on his seat, acting completely normal.

They stared at him blankly before sighing to themselves in a relieved manner. The rebel then sat up and blushed lightly when she realized that she'd been straddling the boy on his hips for quite some time now. He seemed to have taken note of their positions as well because his face began to glow a bright shade of pink. They quickly parted away from each other and began stammering their apologies when Hikaru suddenly hit another hump, jolting the jeep. And because Kaoru's legs were in the way, she ended up falling on top of him once more.

Mori just smiled in amusement and pretended to look at something interesting in his bag.

"S-sorry." she apologized shyly, getting off of him.

"It's alright." he replied, sitting up.

They then sat back on their seats and ignored the smile their senior was giving them.

* * *

I know it's kind of short, but I just needed to have the last scene happen already. x3 R&R's please~!


	7. Chapter Seven

Note:

_words_ = dreams and flashbacks  
_-word-_ = an action being done by the characters or an object/ sound effects

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Settling In**

* * *

_"Takashi! Oy, Takashi! Over here!"_

_A six-year old Mori blinked and looked up. From a few meters away, he saw the familiar face of a four-year old boy wearing the traditional kendo uniform, smiling and waving at him._

_"Hey, Haki." he smiled, lowering his shinai. "Is your training over already?"_

_"Yep!" The brown-haired boy grinned. "I heard that your father's going to let you join the kendo tournament this year! Is it true?"_

_"Ah. He told me that age doesn't matter this time so I should participate in it."_

_Haki mouthed an 'oh' and grabbed the shinai from his back. "Then. . mind if I see how good you are?"_

_"Are you challenging me?" he asked, raising a brow._

_"Technically yes, but I consider this more of a friendly challenge." the boy grinned._

_Mori grinned back and raised his shinai. "Very well."_

_They both then backed up for distance, bowed, and took their stance._

_"Don't blame me if I don't go easy on you."_

_"Is that suppose to be a threat?"_

_"Depends on how you look at it."_

_They hn'ed and jumped towards each other._

_------_

_"I can't believe we had a draw." Haki sighed, dropping his shinai to the ground ten minutes later._

_Mori smiled and handed him a towel. "It was fun though."_

_The boy gratefully accepted it and wiped the sweat off his face and neck. "Ne, Takashi, I heard that your younger brother's gonna start his own kendo training soon. Is he going to train directly under your dad?"_

_"My parents haven't made any final decisions yet." he shrugged. "Otousan's been rather busy lately so I'm not so sure. Maybe he'll hire someone to help him out or something."_

_"Hmm? Then, how about you?"_

_"What about me?"_

_"You can train Satoshi yourself, right? You're just as good as your dad, after all."_

_"He's only three, Haki. I don't know how to teach a three year old how to swing a shinai without hurting himself."_

_"Yes, you do. I learned how to swing my shinai from you and look at me, I'm perfectly fine."_

_Mori pondered for a minute and sighed, not really knowing what to say. Haki smiled as he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder in a supportive manner and sat back against the wall._

_"Ne. ."_

_"Hmm?"_

_"Your sister doesn't do kendo, right?"_

_'Nope. Okaasan's forcing her to take judo instead. Either that, or it's baking class. I'm not so sure."_

_"Baking class sounds more normal."_

_"I guess. She's doing both though. I'm actually trying to teach her how to do a judo flip right now."_

_"Err. . isn't seeing a four year old girl do a judo flip kind of. . scary. . ?" Mori sweatdropped._

_"Really? I think it's rather cute." Haki chuckled. "But she's so small she just flips herself around my arm."_

_The door suddenly slid open, interrupting their conversation, and Mori's mother stepped out. "Taka-chan~ your father and I are going out for dinner with Haki and Kairi's parents so would you mind watching over your brother while we're gone? We won't take very long."_

_"Mmmm, not at all. Sure."_

_"Thank you, dear!" she smiled, giving him a peck on his forehead. "Ah, Haki-chan! There's some ice cream in the freezer so just ask anyone who's in the kitchen to bring it out when you want some. Okaasan has to get going now, so you two go over and play in Sato-chan's room, okay? Bye~!"_

_"Bye." they both stood up and waved._

_"Ah, right!" she smiled and turned around. "Almost forgot, Kairi-chan's already here. She's playing with Satoshi in his room so give her some ice cream too when you can, alright?"_

_"Eh? Imouto-chan's here?" _

_"That's what she said." the older boy nodded, watching his mother go. They then made their way towards the kitchen wherein the younger one eagerly watched as his friend brought out a tub of Haagen Dazs ice cream._

"You know, you remind me of a really excited dog whenever I place ice cream in front of you." Mori chuckled, setting down two bowls and some spoons onto the table. "I can practically imagine you panting and wagging an imaginary tail right now."

_"Well, I can't help it now can I?" Haki grinned embarrassedly. "Okaasan rarely brings any ice cream home these days so I can only depend on you for a bowl or two."_

_"She says that because you used to eat it three times a day without taking in anything else. You can have whatever's left in the tub, Haki. Just bring it along."_

_"Really?! Arigatou, Takashi!" he smiled happily, sparkles appearing in his eyes as he brought the Haagen Dazs with him. They then made their way down the hallway and towards the playground area where they caught sight of two younger kids playing around._

_-door slides open-_

_A girl with long black hair and big, dark brown eyes paused whatever she was doing with the younger Morinozuka and turned around. A huge grin then spread along her lips when the two older boys entered the room and she quickly got up on her feet with her arms spread out. Mori smiled and stepped aside._

_"Imouto/Onii-chan!" Haki and the girl exclaimed in unison, hugging each other with a sideway XD expression on their faces. "Long time no see since five hours ago!"_

_"Ah! Why are you carrying a tub of Haagen Dazs?!" she suddenly exclaimed, eyeing the ice cream container in his hands suspiciously._

_"Takashi gave it to me, therefore, I'm obliged to finish it." he grinned, giving her the peace sign._

_"You're not allowed to eat this much ice cream. Okaasan said you'll get diabetes when you grow up."_

_"It's alright, I'm still young. Enjoy as much as you can, right? There's only half a tub left anway so-" he smiled and scooped a spoonful into his mouth. "Beshides. . Tchakashi -swallow- Takashi's got you a bowl too."_

_"Mori-niisan did?" she blinked, looking over her brother's shoulders eagerly._

_"Ah." the said boy nodded, handing her one of the two bowls and ruffling her hair playfully._

_"Waah! Arigatou, Mori-niisan!" she smiled, taking it from his hands eagerly._

_"Kairi you suck." Haki grinned, pulling her away. "I can't eat ice cream but you can, huh?"_

_"I don't eat as much ice cream as you do so it's okay for me."_

_"No it's not. You eat cake just as much as eat ice cream, don't you?"_

_She blushed and lowered her spoon. "I- I do not!"_

_"Yes, you do!" he chuckled. "You ate three whole cakes after dinner last night even though you were full!"_

_"Those were bite-sized, idiot! Jeez!" she laughed._

~.~.~

Mori smiled and opened his eyes.

The sun was still shining brightly in the afternoon sky, and he could see that they were already nearing the beach, catching sight of the ocean from a distance away. Kaoru and Kai were snickering next to him as they whispered some things to each other's ears, and just when he was about to let them know he was awake...

_-BAM!-_

Hikaru roughly swerved the jeep around in circles, and the two first years yelped when they suddenly got pushed to the side of the vehicle, nearly forcing the senior to fall out of his seat. The girl quickly grabbed onto his arm tightly while Kaoru grabbed onto hers, and they all just held onto each other until the jeep was finally parked in front of a large, white mansion.

"W-w-wha-. . ?"

"HIKARU! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU TRYING TO DO?!? KILL US?!?!?"

"URUSEI!! We're here already, aren't we?!"

"Waaah~ I thought we were going to die~!"

"Hunny-sempai, calm down. ."

"I will see to it that Tachibana has your driver's license suspended for a month, Hikaru."

The three at the back sweatdropped as the smoke around them cleared up and watched as the five hosts inside the vehicle all got off. Hunny was hugging Usa-chan with tears streaming down his cheeks, Haruhi and Kyouya were looking slightly pale, and Hikaru and Tamaki were arguing over something pointless once again. Kai sighed and sat back on her seat.

"You alright, Mori-sempai?" she asked worriedly, letting go of the his arm. "That was way too close."

"Ah. Arigatou." he smiled. "We're. . here already?"

"Yeah. A lot earlier than scheduled." Kaoru grinned, handing him his bag. "Kyouya-sempai said we can still go snorkeling if we want to."

"You were asleep when he said that though." the girl giggled, jumping off the vehicle. The senior suddenly had the feeling that the two freshmen did something to him while he was sleeping, and the camera in the younger Hitachiin's pocket confirmed his suspicions. He then glanced at Kai, who was running over to the still crying Hunny, and suddenly felt his breath cut short. 'Kairi. . '

_Mori-niisan!_

His eyes widened and he bit his lip, looking away from her with a somewhat shocked expression on his face.

"You alright, Mori-sempai?" Kaoru blinked, looking down him. "Did you swallow air or something?"

He shook his head and did a 'I'll be fine so you go on ahead without me' hand motion. The younger twin nodded and jumped off, leaving him behind as a flashback suddenly played in his head.

_"Takashi!" the door slammed opened and a younger six-year old Mori looked up, surprise written all over his face. Haki walked into the room and grinned at him. "You're not doing anything right now right? There's someone I want you to meet!"_

_"Umm. . Haki? I'm kind of busy cleaning the bathtub in case you haven't noticed..."_

_"Imouto-chan, c'mon in!" the boy called out, ignoring him._

_"Imouto. . chan. . ?"_

_His eyes widened when four-year old Kai shyly stepped into the bathroom. She looked like a carbon copy of Haki, except more feminine looking: her eyes were bigger, her hair color was black and tied up into two cute buns with some stray strands bouncing along the sides of her face, and her cheeks were blushing lightly from having to meet her brother's friend inside a bathroom of all places. 'kawaii..' he felt his face heat up._

_"Takashi, this is Kairi. My cute little imouto-chan." Haki smiled proudly, pulling her next to him. "She's a little timid when it comes to meeting new people, so take it easy on her, alright?"_

_"U-umm. N-nice to meet you, Morinozuka-san." the said girl bowed politely, giving him a shy smile._

_"Ah. Nice to meet you too, Kairi-san." he grinned just as shyly, scratching the back of his head._

_"Hah? Morinozuka-san? Kairi-san? You don't have to be so formal with each other you know." Haki laughed, giving his friend a look before grabbing his sister's hand and walking out the room._

_"Wait, what? That's all you came here for?" Mori asked, blinking in surprise._

_"Yeah. It is getting late, after all." the younger boy grinned. "We'll drop by tomorrow, though. Kairi's really good with kids so she can watch over your brother while we train."_

_"I'm good with kids because I am a kid, oniichan." she pouted. He laughed and waved back._

_"See you tomorrow, Takashi!"_

_"Ah, see yah." he smiled, watching them go._

~.~.~

"Sempai?"

Mori gasped and and looked up, breaking out of his daze.

Kai was kneeling in front of him looking worried. "Mori-sempai, are you alright?" she asked, removing her hand that happened to be resting on his arm. "You've been sitting here for quite some time now. Everyone else already went up to their rooms."

A question mark appeared over his head and he looked around him, noticing that everyone but Kai and himself were gone. Then, without doing anything else, he just stared at her blankly, still absorbing the two dreams that he had had over the last few minutes.

"Err. . Mori-sempai?" she blinked, tilting her head slightly to the side.

". . . "

Unsure of what to do, she scratched the tip of her nose and waved her hand in front of the senior's face, sweatdropping when he didn't show any sort of reaction. He finally recollected himself after she had poked his forehead, and reverted back to his calm, stoic self in a matter of seconds. "Mm?"

"Sempai.. are you seriously alright?" she asked again, helping him up.

"Ah. Sorry for making you worry, Kairi." he smiled, reaching forward to ruffle her hair gently.

_-ba-dump-_

She 'eh?'-ed, not hearing the last part very clearly. The tall senior then stood up and jumped off the vehicle, grinning to himself.

"Shall we go?" He smiled, turning around to offer her his hand.

"Sure." she nodded. 'Was sempai grinning just now?'

They proceeded to walk into Kyouya's mansion, where hundreds of maids and butlers warmly greeted them upon entry and hurriedly grabbed their luggage. The oldest man, whom they both assumed was the head butler, then escorted them to their room which was right across Hunny and Kaoru's.

"Tamaki-sempai told us to draw straws to decide room partners, and we were left together." she explained before Mori could ask. "He and Kyouya-sempai, and Hikaru-san and Haruhi-san are staying in the other wing of this mansion."

"Hikaru and Haruhi are together?"

"Yeah. Kaoru-san didn't seem to mind though." she smiled.

The head butler then opened the doors to their room in a very dignified manner and they both entered it at the same time.

The room was something you would expect from a five-star hotel. It had two queen-sized beds with a side table next to each, a walk in closet with more than enough room for their clothes, a flat-screened television, a phone, a small table with two sofa-chairs, some wall lamps, a door leading to a richly furnished bathroom, a small refridgerator, and on the far end was a sliding door that lead to a balcony overlooking the full view of the beach and the ocean.

Since Mori was already used to those kinds of places, he wasn't as awed as Kai naturally was. He walked straight over to the balcony and stared outside, still looking like he was in some sort of a daze, while she dropped her bags onto the floor and lay back on her bed. They stayed there in silence for a few minutes doing nothing until Hunny and Kaoru knocked on their door and entered the room.

"You see? I told you they were here already." the blonde smiled, bouncing over the girl's bed. "Ne, ne, Kai-chan, Takashi; me and Kao-chan are going to go snorkeling. Wanna come along?"

"Hmm? Didn't Kyouya-sempai said that the snorkeling area was half an hour away?" she blinked up at him. "Would it be safe for us to go there at this time?"

"Sea urchins will be coming out by the time we get there. It would be best if we just go in the morning." Mori replied, turning around to pat his now crestfallen cousin on the head. Hunny cheered up almost immediately and gave them a cute smile; causing Kai to squeel inwardly.

"Comfy?" Kaoru then asked with a raised brow, watching as she shifted around on her bed.

She rolled to her side and looked up at him. "This bed's too soft."

"Really?" he sat down next to her and jumped up and down, making her bed creak a bit. "Feels pretty normal to me."

"That's because you're already used to these kinds of things."

"True. We're lucky this way, aren't we?" he smirked. She stuck her tongue out at him and he started jumping up and down even more, causing her to move towards the edge of the bed.

"What the-?! Kaoru-san!" she yelped, falling off. He took one look at her and burst out into laughter, ignoring the curses she was throwing at him, then lay down on his stomach to 'claim' her spot on the bed.

"Oya, get off!" she pouted.

"Hmm? But I thought you said this bed was too soft for your liking."

"Off the fluffy pillows now, Hitachiin."

His smirk broadened when she stood up and he began to snuggle into the comforters, feigning sleep. Kai then grinned and playfully shoved him off, nearly pushing him off the bed's edge, and he laughed out loud once more as he grabbed onto her arm to stay balanced.

Hunny chuckled at them and 'ah!'-ed when he suddenly remembered something. "Anou ne, Kyou-chan said that dinner will be in a few minutes so you both better get ready. Me and Kao-chan will be waiting in our room, okay?"

"Dinner? This early?" Mori asked, glancing at the clock.

"Yeah. Apparently, tono requested him to hold this sunset-viewing dinner upstairs on the rooftop." Kaoru replied.

"We'll be ready in five minutes then."

"Okay! But don't forget to wear something warm, alright?" Hunny smiled, bouncing over to the doors with the younger twin following behind. "It's really cold out here at night so put on a jacket or two."

They both nodded and watched them leave the room.

"Sempai, are you going to use the bathroom?" Kai suddenly asked, surprising Mori to a certain degree.

"S-sorry," she laughed embarrassedly. "It's just that if you are, I'm going to change out here in this room."

He blinked twice and chuckled. "Sure." he nodded, zipping his bag open. She did the same with hers as he stepped into the bathroom and brought out a black, long-sleeved shirt, a short-sleeved, white one, and a pair of full length, baggy pants. When she was sure that he had locked the door, she turned around to close the curtains before she removed the wig off her head, letting her long hair fall down to her back. She then pulled her shirt off and was in the process of removing her pants when a gasp was suddenly heard from behind her.

Surprised, she quickly turned around and saw Hunny and Kaoru staring at her with blushes staining their cheeks.

_-another lightbulb flickers on-_

"A-anou. . Usa-chan. . Usa-chan is. . " the blonde trailed off, staring at her chest involuntarily. She yelped and quickly covered herself with her shirt (thank kami her hair was long enough to cover her bare back), and tossed the pinky bunny at them. Kaoru's blush then deepened and he quickly covered their senior's eyes; and with a quick apology, he turned around and slammed the doors shut.

Kai was too shocked to say anything so she just sat sat there, on her bed, with her shirt still clutched to her chest and her pants resting at her feet. It was probably one of the stupidest things she'd ever done because Mori just happened to step out of the bathroom at that exact moment, saying that he had forgotten to get his shampoo.

He saw her,

He stared at her,

And they pretty much just remained in their positions, staring at each other in awkward silence.

~.~.~

Kaoru stood against the doorway, still blushing a very deep shade of red. He was breathing in deeply, trying to calm himself down; but his mind kept replaying the previous incident over and over again.

_'I just saw Kai-chan in her underwear. .'_

**_'Shut up Kaoru! Stop thinking bad thoughts!'_**

_'But her skin looked so creamy, so soft. .'_

_**'No! Stop it!'**_

_'And her hair was so shiny too. .'_

"Anou, Kao-chan. . can you take your hands off my eyes please?" Hunny asked politely, still held in between the boy's arms like a doll.

Kaoru looked down and quickly released his senior, then slid down against the door, moaning with his hands over his head. The blonde just watched in amusement as he then began to mumble out something incoherent and kneeled in front of him with a gentle look on his face. "Kao~chan."

The said boy stopped mumbling and lowered his hands nervously. "Y-yes, sempai?"

"Kai-chan really is a Kai-chan, isn't she. . ?" the senior asked cutely, flowers appearing in his background. Kaoru then paused, realizing what had just happened.

'Oh shit.'

And just as he had thought this, they both suddenly heard a loud slap coming from inside Kai and Mori's room, and Hunny's eyes widened to the size of saucer plates. They quickly sprang up and kicked the doors open, only to see the closet doors being slammed shut, and a swirly-eyed Mori leaning against the wall with a red handprint on his left cheek.

xoxoxoxoxoxo

xoxoxoxoxoxo

_-Kai's POV-_

Baka. Baka. Baka. BAKA.

I groaned and hugged my knees to my chest, my face burning with humiliation and embarrassment. Why? Of all people, why did it have to be those three that had to see me in my underwear? Why?! Don't these guys know anything about the word 'knocking'?! And to top it all off, Hunny-sempai now knows I'm a girl! . .

_-eyes widen-_

Oh kami.

Hunny-sempai now knows I'm a girl. Hunny-sempai now knows I'm a girl!

_-insert panicking sounds here-_

Ahhh! Can this get any more embarrassing?

I bowed my head and screamed silently at my stupidity.

My three friends just saw me half naked.

My three, _older_ friends just saw me half naked.

My three, older, _male_ friends just saw me half naked, and I even slapped one of them.

_-breathes deeply-_

I relaxed and decided to, before drowning myself with other thoughts, finish changing first. I put my shirt and shorts on, then groaned when I remembered that I had left my wig on the bed.

"Kai-chan?"

'Hmm?' I looked up upon hearing Kaoru's voice.

"Kai-chan? You okay in there?"

He knocked the door softly just as I had unintentionally whimpered.

"Kai-chan, look, we're sorry, okay? Please don't be mad. . "

"Kai-chan's mad?! Kai-chan, you're mad at us?" Hunny asked with that sad voice of his which makes everyone think he's about to cry. Unfortunately, he has this certain effect on me so even though I'm aware that he's my sempai who's two years older than me, I still see him as this really cute kid. (Kawaii-ness attack. . . hate it when it happens to me.)

"C'mon, we hardly saw anything. I promise!" -Kaoru

I think I just felt my vein throb as the humiliation replayed in my mind. Though I have to admit, I do feel kind of guilty since I knew it was partially my fault too, for not locking the doors and all. . .

"Kai-chan, please come out. I think Takashi's in a state of trauma right now."-Hunny

They both sighed in relief when I finally decided to open the door, but I could tell that Kaoru-kun just as embarrassed as I was since he was also blushing. Hunny-sempai then gasped and latched himself onto me, making me yelp and fall back. (Fortunately, I fell back against the wall so there wasn't much pain.)

"Kai-chan, you're so pretty!" he exclaimed, his eyes sparkling. "You look nothing like the Kai-chan I used to know! Your hair's so long and your eyes are so shiny!"

I lightly blushed at his flattery and mumbled a half-hearted 'thanks' as I tried to keep my gaze on the floor. This must've made him think that I was still angry them, because his eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

"Are you still mad at us? We're so sorry we walked in on you when you were still changing." he said, this time with 'the voice' again. I gulped and kept telling myself not to look at him.

Don't look at him.

Don't look at him. .

Don't look at him. . .

DON'T LOOK AT HIM, GODAMMIT!

I looked at him (yes, my determination span can be so short sometimes.), and he was looking at me with those big, googoo eyes, staring at me so intently that I . . . aww man. . .

_-Kaoru's POV-_

I know I'm supposed to be feeling bad for walking in on Kai-chan when I knew she was changing, though completely unintentional; but I couldn't help not smiling and be amused at how she was dealing with Hunny-sempai. Her eyes suddenly grew large and watery, influenced by his 'cute, teary-eyed, puppy dog face', and she began to cuddle him as if he were a teddy bear. Not exactly what a puppy dog face should make you do, but close enough.

I chuckled, causing her to snap out of her daze.

"Umm. . yeah, I'm not angry with any of you, sempai." she mumbled, looking away. "It was my fault for not locking the door anyway. . "

"Really? That's okay, Kai-chan! We're sorry for not knocking, right Kao-chan?" Hunny-sempai smiled happily, looking at me. She nodded and looked at me as well, making me blush once more.

"Umm, yeah, sure." I replied, looking away.

Hunny-sempai then grinned, got off her, and bounced over to Mori-sempai, who was still leaning against the bathroom door with his head bowed low.

"You see, Takashi? Kai-chan's not mad at us! You can cheer up now, right?"

We both walked over to them, and she kneeled down in front of our tallest club mate and immediately stared at his face in horror. "Oh! Jeez! Mori-sempai! I-I am so, so, so sorry. I didn't mean to slap you that hard, it was just a 'heat of the moment' action. I-I'm really sorry, sempai. . does it hurt?"

Wondering what was so bad, I walked over as well and gawked. The handprint on the left side of his cheek had begun to glow red and we could see the stinging heat coming out of it.

Kai-chan panicked and ran into the bathroom and dipped her hand into a pail of ice cold water. Then, running back here, she placed her cool fingertips along the handprint to sooth it down a bit. I didn't know why, but I suddenly felt a pang of jealousy for Mori-sempai as she gently traced the outline of the mark and whispered an apology to him.

_-Normal View-_

Mori smiled and gently ruffled her hair.

"It was my wrong doing. I'm sorry." He said, looking at her straight in the eyes. She blushed slightly, though it made no difference since she was already blushing ever since she came out of the closet, and nodded her head.

She and Hunny then helped the tall senior up while Kaoru looked at his watch. His eyes widened.

"Guys! We're late for dinner!"

xoxoxoxoxoxo

xoxoxoxoxoxo

_On the rooftop. . ._

"Woah! It really is cold out here!" Hikaru exclaimed, feeling the cold air blow against him as he walked up the stairs. Haruhi nodded her head in agreement and shivered slightly in her thin jacket as she looked around her surroundings. The entire rooftop was made completely out of white, polished marble, with an infinity pool on its far end. It had a fantastic view of the beach and the ocean; and with the tribal-looking lamps blending in with the light of the orange sky, she had to admit, the entire place looked like something you'd see in a National Geographic magazine. They both saw Tamaki and Kyouya sitting inside an open, hut-like area a few yards away from them, and she sweatdropped when she noticed its extravagant, bohemian interiors.

"Eh? Not bad, sempai." the older Hitachiin grinned, stepping into the warmth of the hut. "We're really having our dinner in here?"

"Of course." Kyouya nodded. "This is the best place in the entire beach to have a sunset-viewing dinner."

"We figured we could all use some relaxation like this every once in a while. We have been pretty busy during our summer break, after all." Tamaki smiled.

They sat down on their cushions and watched as Kyouya's maids and butlers then brought in platters and platters of different kinds of fresh, cooked seafood. A huge feast was spread out before them, and the last thing to be brought out, one which caught Haruhi's attention greatly, was a large, wooden boat filled with assorted sushi and sashimi. The three boys grinned when a light blush spread across her face when the butler purposely set it down in front of her.

Hikaru whistled and leaned forward to eye each and every dish with hungry eyes. The sight of steamed fishes, fresh oysters, shrimps, crabs, lobsters, sea cucumbers, abalone, sharks fin soup, grilled fillets, and of course, sushi, began to make his mouth water.

"Hold it." Kyouya said, stopping the boy from grabbing his chopsticks. "Hunny-sempai, Mori-sempai, Kai, and your brother aren't here yet. It would be rude if we started eating without them."

"Darn it." he said in a joking manner, wiping the drool off his lips and looking at Haruhi. "Maybe you should get all the ootoro while you still can, Haru-chan."

"Ah! Otousan allows you to do so! I personally brought the largest, freshest tuna fish anyone's ever caught for Kyouya's chef to make ootoro with!" Tamaki exclaimed proudly.

Haruhi's face seemed to lighten up with that statement, and she then looked over the boat eagerly to search for her ootoro. They watched her move her eyes along each piece of raw fish for a few minutes, then began to wonder why she hadn't caught sight of it yet.

"What's wrong? Can't recognize which one's ootoro and which one's not?" Hikaru teased, leaning over to help her look.

"No, I know how ootoro looks like." she replied. "But. . I don't think there's any here."

_-silence-_

Tamaki and Kyouya glanced at each other and stood up to help the two first years look.

"Eh?" - Tamaki

"She's right." - Kyouya

"B-but, how can there be no ootoro here? I gave your butler my bag to give to the chef so he could make some for our daughter!"

Hikaru sighed and patted the girl comfortingly on her back. "Sorry, Haru-chan. Looks like there won't be any ootoro for you today."

"Hmm? Nani? Nani? What are you guys doing?" They all looked up and saw Hunny bouncing over to them with Kai, Kaoru and Mori walking behind him.

"Woah~ a sashimi boat? I haven't seen one in a long time!" the shorter senior smiled, staring at the dish in front of the brown-haired girl.

"There's no ootoro in it though. Tono's tuna fish mysteriously disappeared." Hikaru said in a disappointed tone. Haruhi just sniffed and nodded.

"But I gave the fish to your chef!! I'm sure I did!!"

"Calm down, baka. I'm calling the chef to ask where it is. Hello? Tachibana? It's me. ."

"Haru-chan, don't be sad, okay? We'll buy you some ootoro when we get back to the city, alright?"

Kai, Mori and Kaoru just stood there and sweatdropped.

~.~.~

_A few miles away. . ._

The bear from the previous chapter looks up innocently from the fish Mori had thrown at him, and sneezes.

* * *

A/N [1] Shinai- (bamboo sword used in kendo)

So sorry if this chapter may have seemed kind of rushed. ^_^;


	8. Authoress' Note

Author's Note: I'm sorry if my updatings are really slow, I can only afford to use the internet a few hours a week. D:  
Hey guys, I've been re-reading the story (as the way it is so far) and I've come to realize that there are a lot of typographical errors with the spelling, grammar, and citations in the first few chapters. That, and the story's rushed yet draggy at the same time. The rest of the fic's still under smooth progress, but I think I've overdone the other chapters a bit, taking inspiration from other mangas and real-life events that had happened. The story's draft is actually already up to sixty something chapters long, and they're mostly about random things, so there's a possibility of making this a trilogy. Just a possibility. Nothing official.

Due to certain peer pressure, I'll first be doing some reconstruction on the first few chapters to make them more understandable (hopefully), and then, I'll be doing my best to make Hikaru and Haruhi's love story something you all will enjoy reading about. Yes, their love story happens before Kai and Kaoru's. :3 Friendship leads to every kind of love, after all.

Also, I'd love to hear from you! If you've got any suggestions or requests (like maybe, you were inspired by other stories and thought of a scene that can be re-written for this fic, that happened a lot while I was still drafting the other chapters down.), or maybe, you've got some pointers, tips or advice for an amateur writer like me (really, I am. x3), I'm all open. Constructive criticism too.

Thank you so much to all those who've read, reviewed, and gave me so much support despite my lack of efficiency. ^_^;; I'll try to update as soon as possible. Take Care! :D 


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